THE 

BOOKOFCOMMON  PRAYER 

ITS  ORIGIN  AND  GROWTH 

BY 

J.  H.  BENTON,  LL.D. 


BX 

5145 

.B35 


BX  5145 
Benton, 
i  Book 


B35  1910 
Josiah  H.  1843-191' 
if  common  prayer 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2015 

https://archive.org/details/bookofcommonprayOObent_0 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


THE 

BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

ITS  ORIGIN  AND  GROWTH 

J  BY 
J.  H.  BENTON,  LL.D. 


"AS  THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  SUN 
IS  TO  THE  EYE  OF  THE  BODY 
SO  IS  PRAIER  TO  THE  SOUL" 


BOSTON 

PRIVATELY  PRINTED 
1910 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY  J.  H.  BENTON 


D.  B.  UPDIKE,  THE  MERRYMOUNT  PRESS,  BOSTON 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


THE  gradual  collection  of  Books  of  Common 
Prayerand  otherbooks  related  thereto  has  been 
one  of  the  avocations  of  a  busy  professional  life.  I  am 
sometimes  asked : "  But  why  collect  Prayer-Books  ? " 
This  sketch  is  my  answer  to  that  question. 

The  English  Book  of  Common  Prayer  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  and  instructive  subjects  of  de- 
votional and  historical  study.  It  is  the  first  book,  com- 
prising all  the  offices  of  the  Church  and  also  forms 
of  private  devotion,  which  was  established  as  a  com- 
plete liturgy  by  the  act  of  the  state.  All  previous 
forms  of  worship  had  been  promulgated  by  ecclesi- 
astical authority  alone,  and  had  no  binding  force  in 
the  law  of  the  state;  but  this  book  was  enacted  as 
the  only  legal  form  of  public  worship  by  a  Parlia- 
ment of  the  Commons  and  Lords  Spiritual  and  Tem- 
poral and  the  Crown.  Although  it  was  first  prepared 
by  the  clergy,  it  was  necessarily  so  framed  as  to  stand 
the  test  of  legislative  debate  and  meet  the  approval 
of  the  people  by  their  representatives  in  Parliament; 
and  the  legal  validity  of  its  use  rests  solely  upon  the 
authority  of  the  act  of  Parliament.  It  was  also  the  first 
complete  book  of  devotions  for  the  clergy  and  the 
worshippers  in  the  language  of  the  people,  so  that 
it  might  "be  understanded  by  the  people."  It  was  a 
compromise  between  conflicting  opinions  as  to  re- 
ligious doctrine  and  as  to  forms  of  worship.  This  was 
its  strength;  for  this  made  it  a  liturgy  established  by 
the  consent  and  authority  of  the  people,  for  the  use 
of  the  people,  in  the  common  language  of  the  people. 

[  H  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


It  has  been  twice  proscribed  by  law,  all  copies  of  it 
ordered  to  be  destroyed,  and  its  use  in  public  or 
private  devotions  made  a  crime.  But  it  has,  with  few 
substantial  alterations,  remained  unchanged  in  its 
original  form  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

The  acl  of  Parliament  establishing  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  was  passed  January  21 ,  1549.  The 
book  was  at  once  printed,  and  its  use  began  in  the 
following  June.  The  a<5l  was  entitled  "  An  A61  for 
Uniformity  of  Service  and  Administration  of  the  Sa- 
craments throughout  the  Realm."  It  recited  the  di- 
versity of  forms  of  worship  then  existing.  It  stated 
that  a  book  entitled  "The  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
and  Administration  of  the  Sacraments,  and  other  rites 
and  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  after  the  Use  of  the 
Church  of  England,"  had  been  prepared  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  and  certain  of  the  most  learned 
and  discreet  bishops,  and  other  learned  men  of  the 
realm,  and  declared  that  all  the  ministers  in  the 
King's  dominions  should  "after  the  Feast  of  Pente- 
cost next  coming  [June  9, 1 549], be  bounden  to  say 
and  use  the  Mattens,  Evensong,  Celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  commonly  called  the  Mass,  and  ad- 
ministration of  each  of  the  Sacraments,  and  all  their 
common  and  open  Prayer  in  such  order  and  form  as 
is  mentioned  in  the  same  book,  and  none  other  or 
otherwise." 

A  great  priest  of  the  Church  has  said  of  it:  "As 
the  earth's  shadow  has  kept  sweeping  slowly  round 
the  globe,  under  the  two  advancing  lines  of  twilight 
and  dawn,  wherever  the  English  tongue  is  spoken, 
the  daily  sacrifice  of  our  morning  and  evening  prayer 

[  '«  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


has  'bowed  down  successive  crowds  of  worshippers 
upon  their  knees;'  so  that,  perhaps,  there  has  not 
been  an  hour  of  day  or  night,  since  that  month, 
in  the  second  year  of  Edward's  reign,  when,  from 
some  high  temple,  or  lowly  chapel,  or  family  group, 
or  chamber  of  sickness,  or  dying  bed,  or  closet 
whose  door  was  shut,  these  immortal  confessions 
and  supplications  and  praises  have  not  been  ascend- 
ing!" 

The  history  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  has 
been  the  study  of  the  most  acute  and  vigorous  minds, 
not  only  of  ecclesiastics,  but  of  lawyers,  statesmen 
and  scholars.  A  body  of  literature  has  been  created 
as  to  its  sources,  meaning  and  purposes  which  for 
learning,  reasoning  and  style  is  unsurpassed.  Those 
who  know  it  best  love  it  most,  and  the  very  earnest- 
ness of  their  discussions  as  to  its  origin  and  meaning 
attests  their  devotion  to  it.  It  has  profoundly  influ- 
enced not  only  the  moral,  but  also  the  intellectual 
and  political  life  of  England  and  of  the  world.  The 
arbitrary  reforms  and  the  vacillating  but  effective 
rule  of  Henry  VIII ;  the  weak  government  and  wide- 
spread insurrections  of  the  reign  of  Edward  VI; 
the  cruel  persecutions  under  Mary  and  the  persis- 
tent oppression  of  those  who  adhered  to  the  Roman 
faith  under  Elizabeth;  the  childish  and  ineffective 
rule  of  James  I ;  the  civil  wars  in  the  time  of  Charles  I, 
his  execution  and  the  able  but  arbitrary  rule  of  Crom- 
well; the  riotous  reign  of  the  dissolute  Charles  II, 
and  all  the  subsequent  political  history  of  England 
are  a  part  of  the  story  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  It  has  affected  English  and  Continental  di- 

[  v  J 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


plomacy  and  statesmanship,  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  its  existence  and  use  have  caused  wars 
to  be  waged  and  colonies  to  be  established  beyond 
the  seas.  It  has  not  only  gone  where  the  English 
language  has  gone,  but  it  has  been  translated  into 
nearly  all  the  written  languages  of  the  world.  Its 
history  is  a  part  of  the  warp  and  woof  of  the  history 
of  the  English  people  and  nation  which  no  one  can 
fully  understand  who  does  not  know  its  story. 

Of  course,  such  a  book  was  not  an  accident  or  a 
new  creation.  It  was  an  adaptation  of  rites,  of  cere- 
monies and  of  forms  of  devotion  which  had  their 
origin  in  the  earliest  times,  and  came  down  gradu- 
ally modified  by  use  in  different  parts  of  the  Chris- 
tian world  for  more  than  fifteen  centuries.  There  was 
always  in  England  an  independent  Church,  called, 
in  distinction  from  the  Church  of  Rome,  in  the  sta- 
tutes, records  and  rolls  of  Parliament,  the  "Church 
of  England  "or  "  Holy  Church  of  England."  The  en- 
tire separation  of  that  Church  from  the  Roman  See 
by  the  A£t  of  Supremacy  in  1534,  which  made  the 
King  the  "only  Supreme  Head  in  earth  of  the  Church 
of  England,"  necessarily  resulted  in  a  separate  form 
of  liturgical  worship  in  England.  Immediately  there- 
after the  Bible  was  ordered  by  the  King  to  be  set  up 
for  convenient  use  in  every  church,  and  all  curates 
and  heads  of  congregations  were  required  to  read 
the  Epistle  and  Gospel  of  every  holy-day  out  of 
the  English  Bible,  plainly  and  distinctly.  This  was 
probably  to  be  done  after  the  Latin  version  had  been 
read,  as  was  the  custom  at  that  time  in  Germany, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  the  custom  in  the  primitive 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

Church,  when  in  Rome  the  Gospel  and  Epistle  were 
read  aloud  both  in  Greek  and  in  Latin. 

On  February  21,  1543,  Cranmer,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  informed  the  Convocation  that  it  was 
the  wish  of  his  majesty  that  all  service-books  in  the 
Church  of  England  should  be  "newly  examined, 
corrected,  reformed,  and  castigated,  from  all  man- 
ner of  mention  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome's  name,  from 
all  apocryphas,  feigned  legends,  superstitions,  ora- 
tions, collects,  versicles,  and  responses;  that  the 
names  and  memories  of  all  saints  which  be  not  men- 
tioned in  the  Scripture  or  authentic  doctors  should 
be  abolished,  and  put  out  of  the  same  books  and 
calendars,  and  that  the  service  should  be  made  out 
of  the  Scripture  and  other  authentic  doctors." 

In  1544  the  King  directed  Cranmer  to  prepare  a 
general  supplication  "in  our  native  English  tongue," 
to  be  "continually  from  henceforth  said  and  sung  in 
all  churches  of  our  realm  with  such  reverence  and 
devotion  as  appertained,"  etc.  Upon  this  instruction 
Cranmer  prepared  the  first  Litany  in  English  which 
was  put  forth  by  order  of  the  King.  This  was  the  first 
authoritative  act  introducing  the  English  tongue  into 
the  public  services  of  the  Church.  This  Litany,  which 
was  included  in  the  King's  Primer  of  1545,  left  out 
the  petitions  to  various  saints, all  mentioned  by  name, 
which  were  in  the  Latin  service-books,  but  retained 
clauses  calling  for  the  prayers  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
of  the  angels,  and  of  the  patriarchs,  prophets  and 
apostles.  There  remained, it  will  be  seen, but  little,  ex- 
cept to  frame  the  Eucharistic  Office,  in  order  to  have 
complete  materials  for  the  compilation  of  a  Book  of 


[  ™  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Common  Prayer.  This  Office  was  supplied  by  the 
"  Order  of  the  Communion,"  which  was  prepared  and 
passed  Convocation*  and  received  the  civil  sanction 
of  Parliament  requiring  its  use  March  8,  1548. 

The  origin  and  establishment  of  the  first  Book  of 
Common  Prayer, and  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
from  time  to  time  revised,  are  now  to  be  stated  and 
explained  in  as  simple  and  concise  a  manner  as  is 
practicable. 

11 

Christianity  arose  in  the  East.  Its  earliest  forms  of 
worship  are  Oriental,  and  though  their  intellectual 
purpose  may  be  said  to  be  Greek,  and  their  ad- 
ministrative development  Roman,  Oriental  influences 
gave  them  a  colour  and  a  beauty  which  have  in  no 
small  degree  contributed  to  their  permanent  influ- 
ence upon  the  minds  of  men.  The  origin  of  all  the 
liturgies  of  the  Christian  Church  is  uncertain,  tradi- 
tional and  obscured  by  the  mists  of  a  profound  an- 
tiquity. But  they  may  perhaps  be  divided  into  four 
principal  or  primary  groups,  named  according  to 
their  supposed  sources,  as  follows:  The  Liturgy  of 
St.  James,  in  Syria  and  Jerusalem,  sometimes  called 
the  Clementine  Liturgy;  the  Liturgy  of  St.  Mark, 
in  Egypt,  Alexandria  and  Abyssinia,  including  the 
Greek,  Coptic  and  Ethiopic  forms;  the  Liturgy  of 
St.  Peter,  or  the  Roman  Liturgy,  supposed  to  be  the 

'The  term  "Convocation"  as  here  used  is  an  assembly  of  bishops  and 
clergy  summoned  by  command  of  the  Crown  to  aft  only  in  such  civil 
matters  as  the  Crown  directs  in  its  summons,  but  with  no  power  to 
change  the  law  of  the  land.  The  directions  to  Convocation  are  called 
"Letters  of  business." 

[  viii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


form  of  worship  of  the  first  Christians  at  Rome, 
although  as  they  were  Greek  their  Liturgy  was 
doubtless  in  that  tongue,  and  was  perhaps  derived 
from  the  primitive  Liturgy  of  St.  James;*  and  lastly, 
the  Liturgy  of  St.  John,  in  Spain,  France  and  north- 
ern Italy,  sometimes  called  the  Ephesine  Liturgy, 
from  Ephesus,  as  the  residence  of  St.  John.  This  last 
group  included  the  Mozarabic,  or  national  Liturgy 
of  Spain,  until  the  close  of  the  eleventh  century, 
when  it  was  superseded  by  the  Roman  Liturgy; 
the  Gallican  or  ancient  Liturgy  of  France  until  the 
close  of  the  ninth  century,  when  it  was  also  super- 
seded by  the  Roman  Liturgy;  the  Liturgy  of  Milan, 
sometimes  called  the  Ambrosian  Liturgy,  and  which 
is,  perhaps,  but  a  branch  of  the  Roman  Liturgy ;  and 
finally,  the  Celtic  Liturgy,  which  was  in  use  in  the 
British  Islands  before  the  Anglo-Saxon  Conquest, 
and  in  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales  and  Cornwall  for 
varying  periods  of  time  thereafter.  The  forms  of 
these  liturgies  were,  however,  to  a  large  degree 
common,  indicating  clearly  that  they  all  had  their 
origin  in  one  primitive  liturgy  of  the  early  Christian 
Church. 

The  history  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  is, 
of  course,  most  direclly  concerned  with  the  Chris- 
tian liturgies  which  preceded  it  in  the  British  Islands. 
The  first  of  these  was  the  Celtic,  but  all  the  Chris- 

*The  first  seven  General  Councils  of  the  Church  conduced  their  de- 
bates and  wrote  their  decrees  in  Greek.  "The  early  Roman  Church 
was  but  a  colony  of  Greek  Christians  or  Grecised  Jews.  The  early 
fathers  of  the  Roman  Church  wrote  in  Greek  and  the  early  Popes  were 
not  Italians,  but  Greeks.  Pope  is  not  Latin,  but  Greek,  and  is  now  the 
title  of  every  pastor  in  the  Eastern  Church."  Stanley's  Eastern  Church, 
p.  14  et  seq. 

[  «  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

tian  churches,  with  their  books  of  worship,  were 
destroyed  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  conquerors  prior  to 
600  a.d.,  and  the  Celtic  forms  of  Christian  devo- 
tion remained  only  in  the  outskirts  of  England  and 
in  Scotland,  Ireland  and  Wales.  After  this  and  before 
the  Norman  Conquest,  the  liturgy  of  the  Celtic 
Church  was  gradually  restored  in  some  parts  of 
England,  but  the  use  of  the  Liturgy  of  Rome  was  so 
far  introduced  and  extended  by  the  Roman  mission- 
aries that  the  Anglo-Saxon  Liturgy,  so  called, — that 
is,  the  liturgy  generally  prevailing  in  England  before 
the  Norman  Conquest, — may  properly  be  termed  the 
Roman  Liturgy.  After  the  Norman  Conquest,  how- 
ever, this  liturgy  itself  was  modified  by  Norman 
influences,  so  that  the  English  Liturgy  assumed  a 
distinct  character  of  its  own.  In  1085  a.d.  this  was 
embodied  in  a  service-book  called  "The  Missal  ac- 
cording to  the  use  of  Sarum,"  which,  with  certain 
variations  of  form  in  the  different  dioceses,  such  as 
Hereford,  York,  Bangor,  London  and  others,  prac- 
tically became  the  English  Liturgy.  The  liturgical 
books  in  which  the  forms  or  uses  of  worship  in  the 
different  dioceses  were  contained  were,  however, 
for  the  use  of  the  priests  alone,  and  not  for  the  use  of 
the  people,  either  in  public  or  in  private  devotions. 
They  were,  of  course,  in  manuscript,  as  printing  was 
not  introduced  into  England  until  as  late  as  1474  a.d., 
when  Caxton  printed  his  first  book  in  London  from 
movable  types.  They  were  also  all  in  the  Latin  lan- 
guage, as  all  books  of  Christian  worship  had  always 
been  in  the  west  of  Europe  and  in  England.  Indeed, 
English,  as  a  language  common  to  the  entire  Eng- 

[  *  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


lish  people,  hardly  existed  at  that  time.  It  was  not 
until  after  the  complete  fusion  of  the  English  with 
the  Danes  and  the  Normans  had  blended  into  one 
common  language  the  different  dialects  which  had 
previously  prevailed  in  England  that  an  English 
language  was  created  capable  of  being  used  in  an 
accurate  literary  form. 

A  desire  arose,  however,  among  the  people  in  the 
west  of  Europe,  and  especially  in  England,  for  some 
book  by  the  use  of  which  they  could  themselves  take 
part  in  the  public  services  of  the  Church ;  and  hence 
there  came  to  be  produced  what  was  first  called 
"The  Book  of  Hours,"  and  later  "The  Prymer,"or, 
as  it  has  been  well  termed,  "The  Lay  Folks  Prayer- 
Book. "This  book, like  the  missals  and  breviaries, and 
other  service-books  used  by  the  priests,  varied  in 
form  in  the  different  dioceses,  and  was  called  "The 
Prymer  after  the  use  of  Salisbury,"  or  of  York,  or 
Bangor,  etc.,  according  to  the  diocese  in  which  it 
was  prepared  and  used.  In  comparatively  early  times 
these  prymers  were  written  in  English,  or  in  Eng- 
lish and  in  Latin.  They  contained  invariably  certain 
forms, — the  office  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the  seven 
penitential  Psalms,  the  gradual  Psalms  ( said  to  have 
been  so  called  because  it  is  supposed  they  were 
sung  on  the  steps  of  the  Temple ) ,  the  Litany  and  the 
commendations  or  devotions  of  Psalm  119.  Numer- 
ous prymers  were  printed,  some  by  authority  of  the 
Church  and  others  without  it,  prior  to  1545,  when  a 
book  called  "The  King's  Primer"  was  issued  under 
the  authority  of  Henry  VIII,  and  ordered  to  be  used 
throughout  all  his  dominions.  This  primer  was  printed 

[  »  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


in  English  and  in  Latin  in  parallel  columns,  and, 
although  it  did  not  contain  the  Communion  Office, 
was  the  nearest  approach  to  a  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  which  had  then  been  reached  in  England. 

Upon  this  foundation  of  the  primitive  liturgies  of 
the  Christian  Church  and  the  Roman  service-books, 
being  those  used  by  the  priests,  and  also  the  Prym- 
ers,  or  Lay  Folks  Prayer-Book,  of  different  uses  or 
forms  in  the  different  dioceses  of  England,  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  was  formed  and  framed.  So  far 
as  the  forms  of  "the  common  prayer  and  adminis- 
tration of  the  sacraments  and  other  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Church"  were  concerned,  the  Prayer- 
Book  was  compiled  and  formed  from  these  sources. 
As  to  its  doctrine  it  was  necessarily  made  to  con- 
form to  the  faith  of  the  English  Church  as  then 
understood  and  established,  with  only  a  few  slight 
alterations  which  were  adopted  to  meet  the  views  of 
those  reformers  who  had  separated  from  the  Church 
of  Rome.  This  faith  or  doctrine  of  the  English  Church 
was  expressed  in  articles  and  formularies  which  had 
been  from  time  to  time  established  and  put  forth  by 
the  King,  as  the  head  of  the  Church,  on  the  advice  of 
the  Convocation  or  assembly  of  the  bishops  and  clergy . 

in 

When  the  supremacy  of  the  Roman  See  in  mat- 
ters of  faith  was  destroyed  in  England,  and  the  su- 
premacy of  the  King  established  in  such  matters,  it 
became  necessary  that  articles  of  Christian  belief 
should  be  promulgated  by  the  head  of  the  English 


[  ™  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Church.  Such  articles  were  drawn  up  and  adopted 
by  the  Convocation  in  July,  1536.  They  were  then 
established  by  royal  proclamation  as  "  Articles  de- 
vised to  stablish  Christian  quietness  and  unity  among 
us  and  to  avoid  contentious  opinions."  They  were 
entitled  "The  Articles  of  our  Faith,"  and  being  ten 
in  number  were  commonly  known  as  the  "  Ten  Arti- 
cles." These  were  followed  by  royal  injunctions  pro- 
mulgated by  the  King  without  action  by  the  Convo- 
cation, requiring  the  bishops  and  the  clergy  to  teach 
the  doctrines  of  the  articles  to  the  people,  and  also 
to  cause  them  to  learn  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer 
and  the  Ten  Commandments  in  English.  In  1539 
the  "Six  Articles,"  so-called,  were  enacted.  These 
required  belief  in  the  real  presence  in  the  Eucharist, 
declared  against  communion  in  both  kinds,  prohibited 
the  marriage  of  the  clergy,  and  commended  private 
masses  and  auricular  confession.  Failure  to  conform 
to  these  articles  was  made  an  offence  punishable  by 
fines,  imprisonment  and  death.  In  1543  the  rigour 
of  these  articles  was  relaxed  by  "A  Necessary  Doc- 
trine and  Erudition  for  any  Christian  Man."  This  was 
a  revision  of  "The  Institution  of  a  Christian  Man," 
published  by  royal  authority  in  1537  and  known  as 
"The  Bishops'  Book.  "This  revision,  mainly  prepared 
by  Cranmer,  was  set  forth  by  the  King  "  with  the  ad- 
vice of  his  clergy,"  and  was  known  as  the  "King's 
Book. "The  doctrine  of  the  English  Church  remained 
as  set  forth  in  the  Ten  Articles,  the  Six  Articles 
and  in  the  King's  Book  until  1552,  when  it  was  em- 
bodied in  the  Forty-Two  Articles  of  Edward  VI. 
These  were  also  mainly  prepared  by  Cranmer,  were 


[  xiii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


approved  by  Convocation  and  by  the  King  in  Coun- 
cil, and  were  published  in  English  and  in  Latin.  All 
these  were  suppressed  during  the  reign  of  Mary ; 
but  after  Elizabeth  came  to  the  throne  articles  were 
framed  in  1559  called  the  Eleven  Articles.  In  1562 
a  revision  of  the  Forty-Two  Articles  was  made  by 
Convocation  and  approved  by  the  Queen  in  Council. 
This  revision  superseded  the  Eleven  Articles  and 
reduced  the  number  to  thirty-nine.  They  have  since 
been  called  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles,  and  have  re- 
mained unchanged  in  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
These  Articles  of  Faith  are  no  part  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  and  are  not  printed  in  the  early  editions. 

While  Henry  VIII  lived  and  reigned,  it  was  im- 
possible to  frame  a  communion  office  essentially  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  Roman  ritual,  for  though  he 
was  determined  to  free  England  from  the  supremacy 
of  Rome,  all  his  predilections  were  in  favour  of  its 
liturgy.  While  for  political  purposes  he  was  willing 
to  hear  the  views  of  the  reformers,  and  to  consider 
their  arguments  in  favour  of  radical  changes  in  the 
Roman  system  of  Church  government  and  in  its  forms 
of  worship,  such  as  communion  in  both  kinds,  the 
marriage  of  the  clergy,  and  the  disuse  of  private 
propitiatory  masses,  he  yielded  to  none  of  them.  Dur- 
ing his  reign,  however,  the  Church  of  England  had 
become  a  distin<5t  body,  with  no  allegiance  to  Rome; 
the  Bible  had  been  given  to  the  people  in  English  and 
declared  to  be  "  the  only  touchstone  of  true  learn- 
ing;" the  Litany  and  other  parts  of  the  public  service, 
with  many  forms  of  private  prayer,  had  been  put  forth 
by  royal  authority  in  English  as  well  as  in  Latin,  and 


[  xiv  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


commanded  to  be  taught  to  all  children  in  English. 
In  short,  the  reform  of  the  Church  service  had  gradu- 
ally gone  on  in  spite  of  the  conservatism  of  the  King, 
and  at  his  death  the  people  were  ready  for  a  new  and 
complete  liturgy. 

Henry  died  January  28,  1547,  and  on  January  31 
his  son,  Edward,  then  eight  years  old,  became  king 
as  Edward  VI,  and  fell  immediately,  so  far  as  mat- 
ters concerning  the  Church  were  concerned,  under 
the  influence  of  Cranmer,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
At  the  first  Parliament  of  Edward  an  act  was  passed 
which  had  been  approved  by  Convocation,  requiring 
the  public  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  under  both  kinds  and  in  the  English 
language.  It  was  entitled  "  An  Act  against  such  as 
shall  unreverentlie  speake  against  the  Sacrament  of 
the  bodie  and  bloude  of  Christe  commonlie  called  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Altar,  and  for  the  receiving  thereof 
in  both  kyndes," and  was  passed  in  December,  1547.* 
By  this  act  the  cup  as  well  as  the  bread  in  commun- 
ion was  for  the  first  time  legally  given  to  the  peo- 
ple in  England.  On  March  8,  1548,  the  order  of  the 
communion  service  under  the  act  was  issued,  which 
supplied  the  proper  service-book  for  the  Sacrament. 

In  the  following  year  the  King  "appointed  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  (Xranmer J,  with  other 
learned  and  discreet  bishops  and  divines,  to  draw  an 
order  of  divine  worship,  having  respect  to  the  pure 
religion  of  Christ  taught  in  the  Scripture  and  to  the 
practice  of  the  primitive  Church."  In  the  meantime 
the  ordinary  services  of  the  Church  were  continued 


'Statutes  at  Large  (London,  1758),  vol.  ii.  p.  192. 

[  *v  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


according  to  the  old  use  of  Salisbury,  and  in  the  Latin 
tongue.  This  commission  prepared  a  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  which  was  submitted  to  Convocation, 
and  there  debated,  revised,  approved  and  laid  before 
Parliament  on  the  9th  of  December,  1548.  There  it 
was  debated  at  length  both  in  the  House  of  Lords 
and  in  the  Commons,  and  finally  the  a  61  establish- 
ing it  was  passed  on  the  21st  of  January,  1549.  It 
was  entitled  "  An  Act  for  Uniformity  of  Service  and 
Administration  of  the  Sacraments  throughout  the 
Realm."  * 

Those  who,  in  spite  of  the  a6ts  of  supremacy, 
still  adhered  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  desired 
to  use  its  ancient  forms  of  worship,  were  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  new  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and 
it  was  even  more  obnoxious  to  those  who  desired 
to  do  away  with  all  the  ancient  forms  and  to  have 
new  forms  of  worship,  and  not  merely  a  revision  of 
old  ones.  Like  most  good  work,  the  Prayer-Book 
was  condemned  because  it  did  too  much,  and  also  be- 
cause it  did  not  do  enough.  The  calling  in  by  royal 
command  of  all  the  old  service-books  to  be  destroyed 
in  1550,  also  came  at  a  time  when  the  people  were 
in  great  distress  from  a  depreciated  currency,  high 
prices  and  lack  of  employment,  and  was  one  of  the 
causes  of  widespread  insurrections  against  the  gov- 
ernment. These  were  finally  suppressed,  but  persis- 
tent attacks  continued  to  be  made  upon  the  new  form 
of  worship,  especially  upon  the  Communion  Office,  by 
those  who  felt  that  by  it  the  Roman  mass  had  really 
not  been  abolished. 


"Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  ii.  p.  212. 

[  xvi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


It  became  evident  that  a  revision  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  was  necessary  for  the  peace  of  the 
realm.  Commissioners  were  accordingly  appointed 
by  the  Crown  and  instructed  to  make  such  altera- 
tions in  the  Book  as  they  might  consider  desirable. 
They  completed  their  work  before  the  end  of  the 
year  1551,  and  the  revised  Book  was  laid  before 
Parliament,  where  it  was  under  consideration  and 
debate  from  March  19  to  April  14,  1552,  when  a 
second  act  was  passed,  establishing  it  as  the  only 
lawful  form  of  worship.*  This  was  entitled  "An  Ac\ 
for  the  Uniformity  of  Service  and  Administration  of 
Sacraments  throughout  the  Realm."  It  referred  to 
the  first  Book  of  Common  Prayer  "as  a  very  Godly 
order  set  forth  by  authority  of  Parliament  for  Com- 
mon Prayer  and  administration  of  the  Sacraments 
to  be  used  in  the  mother  tongue  within  this  Church 
of  England  agreeable  to  the  Word  of  God,  and  the 
primitive  Church,  very  comfortable  to  all  good  peo- 
ple," and  declared  that  the  revision  was  "because 
there  hath  risen  in  the  use  and  exercise  of  the  afore- 
said Common  Service  in  the  Church,  heretofore  set 
forth,  divers  doubts  for  the  fashion  and  manner  of  the 
ministration  of  the  same,  rather  by  the  curiosity  of  the 
Minister  and  mistakers,  than  of  any  other  worthy 
cause."  Wherefore  the  act  declared  that  Parliament 
"hath  caused  the  aforesaid  order  of  Common  Ser- 
vice, entitled  'The  Book  of  Common  Prayer,'  to 
be  faithfully  and  godly  perused,  explained,  and  made 
fully  perfeSt."  The  ac~t  then  declared  that  if  after 
November  1 , 1 552,  any  person  should  "  willingly  and 


"  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  ii.  p.  240. 

[  xvii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


wittingly  hear  and  be  present  at  any  other  manner 
or  form  of  Common  Prayer,  or  Administration  of  the 
Sacraments,  of  making  of  Ministers  in  the  Churches, 
or  of  any  other  rites  contained  in  the  book"  he 
should  for  the  first  offence  be  imprisoned  for  six 
months,  for  the  second  for  one  year,  and  for  the  third 
offence  for  life.  In  this  revision  the  Ordinal  or  form 
for  making  bishops,  priests  and  deacons  was  first 
made  part  of  the  Prayer- Book.  This  was  prepared 
and  published  early  in  1550  as  a  companion  to  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  of  1549,  and  is  therefore 
sometimes  spoken  of  as  the  "Ordinal  of  1549."  It 
was,  however,  no  part  of  the  first  Prayer-Book,  but 
the  Act  of  Uniformity  of  1552  specifically  added  to 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  to  be  of  like  force  and 
authority,  "A  forme  and  maner  of  making  and  con- 
secrating of  Archebisshops,  Bisshops,  Priestes  and 
Deacds." 

An  interesting  matter  connected  with  the  second 
Prayer-Book  of  Edward  VI  is  that  relating  to  the 
"Black  Rubric,"  so-called.  This  rubric  was  not  con- 
tained in  the  Prayer-Book  which  was  adopted  by  Par- 
liament by  the  Act  of  Uniformity  of  April  15,  1552, 
and  therefore  never  had  the  sanction  of  Parliament. 
"But  on  October  27,  only  four  days  before  the  Book 
was  required  by  the  act  to  be  generally  used,  an  or- 
der was  passed  by  the  King  in  Council  requiring  the 
rubric  to  be  added  to  the  Communion  Office.  It  was 
printed  in  black,  and,  after  a  preamble  stating  the 
propriety  of  kneeling  in  the  Communion,  declared 
that  "it  is  not  meant  thereby  that  any  adoration  is 
done  or  ought  to  be  done  either  unto  the  sacramental 


[  xviii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


bread  and  wine  there  bodily  received,  or  unto  any 
real  and  essential  presence  there  being  of  Christ's 
natural  flesh  and  blood.  For  as  concerning  the  sac- 
ramental bread  and  wine,  they  remain  still  in  their 
very  natural  substances,  and  therefore  may  not  be 
adored ;  for  that  were  idolatry  to  be  abhorred  of  all 
faithful  Christians;  and  as  concerning  the  natural 
body  and  blood  of  our  Saviour  Christ,  they  are  in 
heaven  and  not  here ;  for  it  is  against  the  truth  of 
Christ's  true  natural  body  to  be  in  more  places  than 
in  one  at  one  time."  This  rubric  was  omitted  from 
the  Prayer-Book  as  established  by  the  Act  of  Uni- 
formity of  Elizabeth  in  1559,  because  it  was  no  part 
of  the  Prayer-Book  of  1552  as  enacted  by  Parlia- 
ment. It  was  included  in  the  present  Prayer-Book 
as  established  by  the  AcT:  of  1662,  but  in  a  slightly 
modified  form. 

Edward  died  July  6,  1553,  and  this  revision  of  the 
Prayer-Book  was  in  force  only  eight  months,  and 
therefore  did  not  come  into  general  use  throughout 
the  realm.  The  liturgy  of  the  Church  as  comprised 
in  the  two  books  of  Edward  was  the  one  admirable 
thing  which  his  unhappy  reign  produced. 

The  first  Parliament  in  the  reign  of  Mary  as- 
sembled on  October  24,  and  was  dissolved  on  De- 
cember 6,  1553.  The  acts  of  the  previous  reign  for 
communion  in  both  kinds  and  establishing  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  were  repealed ,  and  it  was  provided 
that  after  December  20,  1553,  there  should  be  no 
other  kind  of  service  nor  administration  of  sacra- 
ments except  such  as  were  "most  commonly  used 
in  England  in  the  last  year  of  Henry  VIII."  At  the 


[  xix  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


next  Parliament,  between  November  12,  1554,  and 
January  1 6,  of  the  next  year,  an  aft  was  passed  "  re- 
pealing all  Articles  and  Provisions  made  against  the 
See  Apostolic  of  Rome  since  the  20th  year  of  King 
Henry  VIII. "The  result  of  these  acts  was  to  restore 
the  supremacy  of  Rome  and  the  Roman  mass,  to  take 
the  cup  from  the  laity,  and  to  proscribe  the  use  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

The  reign  of  Mary  lasted  until  November  17,1558, 
when  Elizabeth  came  to  the  throne.  She  proceeded 
with  great  caution  in  matters  of  religion.  She  first 
caused  a  Litany  to  be  prepared  for  use  in  the  Chapel 
Royal,  substantially  the  same  as  that  found  in  the 
Prayer-Book  of  Edward  VI,  and  by  proclamation 
on  December  27,  1558,  forbade  any  preaching  or 
teaching  other  than  that  of  the  Gospels  and  Epistles 
and  the  Ten  Commandments  in  the  English  tongue, 
or  the  use  of  any  manner  of  public  prayer,  rite  or 
ceremony  in  the  Church  but  that  which  was  already 
used,  and  by  law  received,  or  the  common  litany  used 
in  her  own  chapel,  and  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the 
Creed  in  English,  until  further  action  by  Parliament. 

The  first  Parliament  of  Elizabeth  was  opened 
on  January  23,  1559,  and  closed  May  8,  1559-  On 
March  1 8  an  act  was  passed  "  to  restore  to  the  Crown 
the  ancient  jurisdiction  over  the  estate  ecclesiasti- 
cal and  spiritual,  and  abolishing  all  foreign  powers  re- 
pugnant to  the  same. "On  April  28  Parliament  passed 
"  An  Act  for  the  Uniformity  of  Common  Prayer,  and 
Service  in  the  Church,  and  Administration  of  the  Sac- 
raments,"* which  had  not,  for  obvious  reasons,  been 

*  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  ii.  p.  317. 

[  xx  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


submitted  to  the  Convocation,  and  against  which  all 
the  Bishops  present  in  the  Lords  voted.  This  acl:  re- 
cited that  at  the  death  of  Edward  "there  remained 
one  uniform  order  of  common  service  and  prayer, 
and  of  the  administration  of  Sacraments,  Rites  and 
Ceremonies  in  the  Church  of  England,  which  was 
set  forth  in  one  book, entitled : The  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  etc.,  authorized  by  an  Acl  of  Parliament, 
entitled  An  A61  for  the  Uniformity  of  Common 
Prayer,  and  administration  of  the  Sacraments,  the 
which  was  repealed,  and  taken  away  by  A6t  of  Par- 
liament, in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen 
Mary,  to  the  great  decay  of  the  due  honour  of 
God,  and  discomfort  to  the  professors  of  the  truth  of 
Christ's  religion."  The  acl:  then  provided  that  the 
repealing  acl;  of  the  reign  of  Mary  should  be  void 
"  from  and  after  the  Feast  of  the  Nativity  of  S.  John 
Baptist"  (June  24,  1559),  and  that  the  said  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  "with  the  alterations  and  additions 
therein  added  and  appointed  by  this  statute  shall 
stand  and  be  in  full  force  and  effecl;"  after  said  day. 
The  acl;  further  required  that  after  that  time  the  ser- 
vice in  all  churches  or  other  places  in  the  Queen's 
dominions  should  be  according  to  the  Prayer-Book 
of  Edward  VI  with  said  alterations.  The  only  im- 
portant alteration  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
made  by  this  acl;  was  that  with  regard  to  the  orna- 
ments of  the  church  and  of  the  ministers.  The  se- 
cond Prayer-Book  of  Edward  VI  forbade  the  use  of 
Albe,  Vestment  or  Cope, but  the  Elizabethan  Prayer- 
Book  provided  that  "  such  ornaments  of  the  church 
and  of  the  minister  thereof  shall  be  retained,  and  be 


[  xxi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


used  as  was  in  this  Church  of  England,  by  authority 
of  Parliament,  in  the  second  year  of  the  reign  of 
King  Edward  VI  until  other  order  shall  be  therein 
taken  by  the  authority  of  the  Queen's  Majesty." 

This  act, however,  contained  a  new  and  important 
provision  that  "  If  there  shall  happen  any  contempt 
or  irreverence,  to  be  used  in  the  Ceremonies  or  Rites 
of  the  Church,  by  the  misusing  of  the  Orders  ap- 
pointed in  this  book,  the  Queen's  Majesty  may,  by 
the  like  advice  of  the  said  Commissioners  or  Metro- 
politan, ordain  and  publish  such  further  ceremonies 
or  rites  as  may  be  most  for  the  advancement  of  God's 
glory,  the  Edifying  of  his  Church,  and  due  reverence 
of  Christ's  Holy  Mysteries  and  Sacraments."  Under 
this  authority,  as  well  as  in  the  exercise  of  the  power 
of  the  Sovereign  as  the  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church, 
the  Queen  issued  the  so-called  "Injunctions  "  and 
"Advertisements," prescribing  many  things  with  re- 
gard to  public  worship  which  were  not  specifically 
provided  for  by  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

After  Parliament  in  1534  declared  that  the  Eng- 
lish Sovereign  was  the  only  Supreme  Head  of  the 
Church  in  England  in  matters  spiritual  as  well  as 
temporal,  it  became  the  practice  for  the  sovereign  to 
issue  commands  as  to  church  services  and  other  ec- 
clesiastical matters.  These  were  sometimes  issued  by 
the  advice  of  Convocation  or  of  commissioners  of  the 
clergy  appointed  by  the  Crown,  but  they  were  fre- 
quently issued  independent  of  such  advice  and  in  the 
usual  form,  that  is,  by  advice  of  the  Council.  As 
early  as  1536  the  King  issued  instructions  abolishing 
holy-days  during  the  harvest  season  solely  upon  his 


[  xxii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


own  authority.  These  instructions  were  usually  called 
injunctions,  sometimes  advertisements.  Henry  VIII 
issued  injunctions  at  various  times.  Edward  VI  in 
1547  issued  injunctions  which  recited  the  injunctions 
of  Henry  VIII,  reaffirmed  them  and  added  other  in- 
junctions to  them,  by  advice  of  the  King's  Council. 
In  1559  Elizabeth  issued  injunctions  commanding 
many  things  with  regard  to  church  service  and  the 
conduct  of  the  clergy.  In  1564  she  issued  what  are 
called  "advertisements  "as  to  matters  of  clerical  vest- 
ments, church  ornaments,  etc. 

The  supremacy  of  Rome  which  had  been  destroyed 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  and  restored  in  the  reign 
of  Mary,  was  again  effectively  destroyed, and  all  the 
power  of  the  Church  of  Rome  in  England  overthrown 
by  Parliament  in  1559-  Speaking  of  this  settlement 
of  religious  matters,  Elizabeth  wrote  to  the  Catholic 
princes  of  Europe:  "No  new  religion  has  been  set 
up  in  England  but  that  which  was  commanded  by 
Our  Saviour,  practiced  by  the  primitive  Church,  and 
approved  by  the  fathers  of  the  best  antiquity."  The 
Roman  Church,  however,  did  not  quietly  submit  to 
this.  The  Pope  issued  a  bull  of  excommunication 
against  Elizabeth,  reciting  that  she  was  "an  heretic, 
a  pretended  Queen  of  England  abandoned  to  all 
wickedness,"  who  had  "  wickedly  usurped  to  herself 
the  supremacy  over  the  whole  Church  of  England," 
and  "stri6tly  prohibited  the  exercise  of  the  true  reli- 
gion ( which  Mary,  the  lawful  Queen  of  famous  me- 
mory, had  by  the  assistance  of  this  see  restored  after 
it  has  been  lately  suppressed  by  Henry  VIII,  an 
apostate  therefrom);"  that  she  had  "abolished  the 


[  xxiii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

sacrifice  of  the  mass  and  the  rites  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  commanded  books  containing  in  them 
downright  heresies  to  be  published  throughout  the 
realm,  and  ordered  impious  rites  and  ceremonies  to 
be  observed  by  her  subjects."  Wherefore, the  bull  of 
excommunication  declared  Elizabeth  to  be  deprived 
of  her  pretended  title  as  Queen,  and  absolved  all  her 
subjects,  and  others  who  had  taken  an  oath  to  her  as 
Queen,  from  such  oaths,  and  commanded  them  not 
to  presume  to  obey  her  or  her  laws,  and  declared 
that  those  who  should  do  so  would  be  subject  to 
like  excommunication. 

Later  another  bull  of  excommunication  of  like  ef- 
fect was  issued  against  the  Queen,  and  finally,  when 
the  great  Armada  was  about  to  be  sent  by  Spain  to 
conquer  England,  a  final  bull  of  excommunication 
was  issued.  This  recited  the  previous  bulls,  stated 
that  the  Pope  had  "used  great  diligence  with  divers 
princes  and  especially  with  the  mighty  and  Catholic 
King  of  Spain,  to  use  force,  that  that  woman  may  be 
dejected  from  her  degree  and  that  the  evil  men  and 
hurtful  to  mankind  which  adhere  to  her  may  be 
punished,  and  that  kingdom  be  reduced  to  certain 
reformation  and  quietness."  Then  the  bull  set  forth 
at  great  length  the  wicked  conduct  of  Elizabeth  in 
abolishing  the  true  Catholic  religion  and  introducing 
heretical  forms  of  worship,  and  again  declared  Eliz- 
abeth illegitimate  and  a  true  usurper  of  the  kingdom 
of  England,  and  absolved  all  her  subjects  from  all 
duty  of  fidelity  and  obedience  to  her,  and  threatened 
them  with  excommunication  if  they  continued  to 
obey  her.  The  Spanish  Armada  was  specially  de- 


[  xxiv  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


scribed  in  this  bull,  and  all  persons  who  took  part 
in  the  invasion  of  England  were  granted  plenary 
indulgence  for  anything  they  might  do  in  carrying 
on  the  war  against  England.* 

But  the  time  had  gone  by  when  the  thunders  of 
the  Vatican  could  shake  the  throne  of  England.  Bur- 
leigh and  Bacon  were  prudent  and  wise  upon  the 
land,  Hawkins  and  Drake  resistless  upon  the  sea, 
and  Elizabeth  herself  was  more  than  a  match  for  all 
the  diplomats  of  Europe.  The  great  Armada  failed 
of  its  purpose,  and  when  it  was  driven,  shattered  and 
broken,  around  the  headlands  of  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land, the  last  real  danger  of  a  foreign  invasion  of 

'The  papal  bulls  promulgated  by  the  Bishop  of  Rome  against  Henry  VIII 
and  against  Queen  Elizabeth  were  as  follows: 

Bull  of  damnation  and  excommunication,  promulgated  by  Pope 
Paul  III  against  Henry  VIII  and  his  partisans,  dated  at  Rome,  August  30, 
1535.  Latin  text  published  in  Bullarium  privikgiorum  ac  diplomatum  Ro- 
manorum  pontijicum,  torn.  iv.  pars  I,  pp.  125-130  (Romae,  1745).  Then 
follows  (ibid.,  pp.  130-132)  the  executory  bull,  by  the  same  pope,  dated 
December  17,  1539. 

Bull  of  damnation  and  excommunication,  promulgated  by  Pope  Pius  V 
against  Queen  Elizabeth  and  her  followers,  dated  at  Rome,  February  25, 
1569  [i.e.  1570].  An  English  translation  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  Cam- 
den's History,  vol.  2,  part  4,  p.  427  (London,  1706).  Latin  text  pub- 
lished in  Bullarium  privikgiorum  ac  diplomatum  Romanorum  pontificum, 
torn.  iv.  pars  3,  pp.  98,  99  (Romae,  1746).  This  bull  was  renewed  by 
Pope  Gregory  XIII  (1  572-1  585)  in  his  general  bull,  In  nomine  sanclae  et 
individuae  Trinitatis  (In  the  name  of  the  sacred  and  undivided  Trinity), 
—  a  bull  against  heretics,  dated  Rome,  March  19,  1572  ;  and,  again,  in 
1577.  Pope  Sixtus  V  renewed  the  same  bull  of  excommunication  in 
1588.  An  English  translation  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  Purchas  His 
Pilgrimes,  vol.  iv.  p.  1895  (London,  1625). 

As  a  matter  of  fact  an  excommunicatory  bull  holds  good  until  re- 
moved by  a  bull  of  absolution.  A  pope  cannot  excommunicate  a  person 
a  second  time,  unless  that  person  has  been  absolved  by  another  bull. 
He  can,  however,  affirm  his  predecessor's  bull.  This  was  done  by  Popes 
Gregory  XIII  and  Sixtus  V. 

[  xxv  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


England  passed  away.  The  sturdy  English  people 
continued  to  serve  the  Queen  according  to  the  laws 
of  the  realm,  and  to  worship  God  according  to  the 
use  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  during  the  long 
and  able  reign  of  Elizabeth,  until  her  death  in  1603. 

IV 

James  I,  son  of  the  fickle  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  and 
the  imbecile  Darnley,  became  king  March  24  of 
that  year.  James  was  cautious,  mean,  loquacious  and 
cowardly,  but  he  had  a  low  cunning  and  shrewdness 
which  made  him  the  wisest  fool  in  Christendom. The 
reign  of  James  continued  from  March  24,  1603,  to 
March  22,  1625.  No  revision  of  the  Prayer-Book 
was  made  by  Parliament  during  that  time.  James, 
however,  in  1604,  called  a  conference  of  represen- 
tatives of  the  bishops  and  clergy  of  the  Church  and 
of  the  Puritans  to  consider  whether  changes  should 
be  made  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  This  was 
called  the"  Hampton  Court  Conference,"and  the  King 
with  Scotch  shrewdness  himself  presided  at  it,  took 
part  in  its  discussions,  and  shaped  its  conclusions.  As 
the  result  of  the  Conference  the  King  issued  a  pro- 
clamation on  March  5, 1 604,"  for  the  authorizing  and 
Uniformity  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  to  be 
used  throughout  the  Realm,"  and  another  proclama- 
tion on  July  16,  of  the  same  year,  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. These  proclamations  recited  the  result  of  the 
Hampton  Court  Conference, declared  that  it  appeared 
to  the  King  and  his  Council "  that  there  was  no  cause 
why  any  change  should  be  made  neither  in  the  doc- 

[  xxvi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


trine  nor  in  the  forms  and  rites  of  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,"  but  that  "some  small  things  might 
rather  be  explained  than  changed,  not  that  the  same 
might  not  very  well  have  been  borne  with  by  men 
who  would  have  made  a  reasonable  construction  of 
them."  The  proclamation  then  stated  that  for  the 
purpose  of  making  such  explanation  a  commission 
had  been  issued  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
and  others, "according  to  the  Form  which  the  Laws 
of  this  Realm  in  like  case  prescribe  to  be  used,  to 
make  the  said  Explanation  and  to  cause  the  whole 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  with  the  same  Explana- 
tions, to  be  newly  printed."  This  being  done,  the 
proclamation  proceeds  "to  require  and  enjoin  all 
men,  as  well  Ecclesiastical  as  Temporal,  to  conform 
themselves  unto  it,  and  to  the  practice  thereof,  as 
the  only  public  form  of  serving  God,  established  and 
allowed  to  be  in  this  Realm." 

The  action  of  the  King  in  this  matter  was  objected 
to  by  the  Puritans  upon  the  ground  that  no  altera- 
tion could  be  made  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
except  by  Parliament.  But  it  is  evident  by  the  terms 
of  the  King's  proclamation  that  he  assumed  to  make 
these  slight  alterations  under  authority  of  the  act  of 
Parliament  which  established  the  Prayer-Book  in  the 
time  of  Elizabeth.  James  claimed  that  the  authority 
given  by  this  act  to  the  Queen  to  establish  further 
rites  and  ceremonies  was  given  to  the  Crown  and 
inherited  by  him  as  the  successor  of  Elizabeth.  The 
most  important  result  of  the  Hampton  Court  Confer- 
ence was  an  order  by  the  King  in  response  to  the 
request  of  the  Puritans  for  a  uniform  translation  of 


[  xxvii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


the  Bible.  This  was  completed  in  1611,  and  is  com- 
monly called  the  "King  James  Bible." 

Charles  I  became  king  March  27,  1625,  and  no 
revision  of  the  Prayer-Book,  nor  any  change  in  its 
language,  except  what  is  usual  in  all  the  reprints 
of  books  at  that  time,  was  made  during  his  reign.  In 
1637,  however,  a  Prayer-Book  was  drawn  up  for  use 
in  Scotland,  which  was  put  in  force  by  a  royal  pro- 
clamation December  20, 1636.  This  book  was  based 
upon  the  English  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  but  dif- 
fered from  it  in  many  respects.  It  was  commonly 
called  "Laud's  Book"  because  it  was  said  to  have 
been  prepared  at  the  instance  of  Archbishop  Laud. 
It  was  rejected  by  the  clergy  and  the  people  of  Scot- 
land. 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  continued  to  be  the 
lawful  form  of  worship  until  January  3,  1644,  when 
Parliament  passed  an  ordinance  "  for  the  taking  away 
of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  forthe  establish- 
ing and  putting  in  execution  of  the  Directory  for  the 
publique  Worship  of  God."*  This  ordinance  recited 
that  "The  Lords  and  Commons  assembled  in  Parlia- 
ment, taking  into  serious  consideration  the  manifold 
inconveniences  that  have  arisen  by  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  in  this  kingdom  and  resolving  according 
to  their  Covenant,  to  reform  religion  according  to  the 
Word  of  God,  and  the  example  of  the  best  reformed 
Churches;  have  consulted  with  the  reverend,  pious 

*The  legislation  with  regard  to  the  preparation  and  adoption  of  this  ex- 
traordinary book  will  be  found  in  the  Journals  of  the  House  of  Lords 
and  of  the  House  of  Commons,  as  follows:  Journals  of  the  House  of  Lords, 
1644,  page  1 19  ;  pages  121,  122  ;  page  125  ;  page  271  ;  1645,  pages  551- 
552.  Journals  of  the  House  of  Commons,  1 644,  page  6  ;  pages  9, 1  o ;  page  I  o  ; 
pages  II,  12  ;  page  77  ;  1645,  page  1 14  ;  1745,  page  251. 

[  xxviii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


and  learned  Divines,  called  together  for  that  pur- 
pose; and  do  judge  it  necessary  that  the  said  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  be  abolished,  and  the  Directory 
for  the  Public  Worship  of  God  hereafter  mentioned 
be  established  and  observed,  in  all  the  Churches 
within  this  kingdom." 

It  was  therefore  ordained  that  the  statutes  of 
uniformity  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  establishing  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  be  repealed,  and  the  Direc- 
tory used  in  all  exercises  of  the  Public  Worship  of 
God.  In  August  of  the  same  year  it  was  ordered 
that  all  Common  Prayer  Books  remaining  in  parish 
churches  and  chapels  should  be  within  one  month 
taken  away  to  be  destroyed,  and  that  if  any  person 
should  at  any  time  cause  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
to  be  used  in  any  church,  chapel  or  place  of  worship, 
or  in  any  private  place  or  family  within  the  kingdom 
of  England,  he  should  for  the  first  offence  pay  a 
fine  of  £5,  for  the  second  a  fine  of  =£10,  and  for  the 
third  offence  be  imprisoned  one  whole  year. 

The  Directory  was  not  a  Prayer-Book  at  all.  It 
consisted  of  prohibitions  of  liturgical  worship  and  of 
directions  to  the  ministers  with  regard  to  the  con- 
duct of  such  services  as  might  be  deemed  discreet 
and  expedient.  Of  its  eighty-six  small  printed  pages, 
eight  are  taken  up  with  a  preface;  three  contain 
directions  as  to  the  "  Assembling  of  the  Congrega- 
tion," two  as  to  the  "Public  Reading  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures;"  thirteen  and  a  half  are  given  to  direc- 
tions as  to  "Prayer  before  the  Sermon,"  nine  to  the 
"  Preaching  of  the  Word,"  and  three  to  the  "  Prayer 
after  the  Sermon."  In  the  directions  as  to  the  Ad- 


[  xxix  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


ministration  of  the  Sacraments  nine  pages  are  de- 
voted to  Baptism,  eight  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  two  to 
the  Sanclification  of  the  Lord's  Day,  seven  to  Mar- 
riage, eight  to  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  one  and  a 
half  to  the  Burial  of  the  Dead,  five  and  a  half  to 
Public  Fasting,  three  and  a  half  to  Days  of  Public 
Thanksgiving,  one  to  Singing  of  Psalms,  and  two 
to  an  Appendix  touching  Days  and  Places  of  Public 
Worship.  Its  character  is  indicated  by  its  provision 
concerning  the  burial  of  the  dead  which  was  "  When 
any  person  departeth  this  life,  let  the  dead  body, 
upon  the  day  of  Buriall,  be  decently  attended  from 
the  house  to  the  place  appointed  for  publique  Buriall, 
and  there  immediately  interred  without  any  Cere- 
mony. And  because  the  customes  of  kneeling  down, 
and  praying  by  ,or  towards  the  dead  Corps, and  other 
such  usages,  in  the  place  where  it  lies,  before  it 
be  carried  to  Buriall,  are  Superstitious:  and  for  that, 
praying,  reading,  and  singing  both  in  going  to,  and 
at  the  Grave,  have  been  grosly  abused,  are  no  way 
beneficiall  to  the  dead,  and  have  proved  many  wayes 
hurtfull  to  the  living,  therefore  let  all  such  things 
be  laid  aside.  Howbeit,  we  judge  it  very  convenient, 
that  the  Christian  friends  which  accompany  the  dead 
body  to  the  place  appointed  for  publique  Buriall,  doe 
apply  themselves  to  meditations,  and  conferences 
suitable  to  the  occasion :  and,  that  the  Minister,  as  up- 
on other  occasions,  so  at  this  time,  if  he  be  present, 
may  put  them  in  remembrance  of  their  Duty.  That 
this  shall  not  extend  to  deny  any  civill  respects  or 
differences  at  the  Buriall,  suitable  to  the  ranke  and 
condition  of  the  party  deceased  whiles  he  was  living." 


[   XXX  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Charles  II  came  to  the  throne  May  29,  1660,  the 
use  of  the  Directory  ceased,  and  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,  as  it  had  been  before  established,  was 
used  from  that  time  without  change  until  it  was  re- 
vised by  a  commission  of  twelve  bishops  and  twelve 
Presbyterian  divines,  with  nine  assistants  on  each 
side  as  substitutes  for  the  principals  when  they 
should  be  absent,  known  as  the  "  Savoy  Conference." 
This  commission  was  called  by  a  royal  warrant  on 
March  25,  1661.  It  opened  on  April  15, 1661,  at  the 
Bishop  of  London's  lodgings  in  the  Savoy,  and  closed 
on  July  25,  1661.  On  June  29,  1661,  a  bill  for  the 
"  Uniformity  of  Public  Prayer  and  Administration  of 
the  Sacraments "  was  read  for  the  first  time  in  the 
House  of  Commons.  The  proceedings  in  the  Com- 
mons showed  the  desire  of  the  people  to  restore  the 
old  Book  of  Common  Prayer  without  delay  and  sub- 
stantially unchanged.  While  the  conference  was  sit- 
ting, the  Commons  appointed  "  a  Committee  to  view 
the  several  laws  for  confirming  the  Liturgy  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  to  make  search  whether 
the  original  book  of  the  Liturgy,  annexed  to  the  a<5t 
passed  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  years  of  King  Edward 
the  Sixth,  be  yet  extant;  and  to  bring  in  a  compen- 
dious bill  to  supply  any  defeci  in  the  former  laws, and 
to  provide  for  an  effectual  conformity  to  the  Liturgy 
of  the  Church  for  the  time  to  come." 

On  July  3,  1661 ,  the  Bill  for  Uniformity  was  read 
the  second  time,  and  together  with  the  printed  Book 
of  Common  Prayer,  then  brought  in,  referred  to  a 
committee.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  no  original 
Prayer-Book  of  Edward  VI  could  then  be  found, 


[  xxxi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


and  therefore  the  book  actually  used  by  Parliament 
was  one  printed  in  1604.  On  July  9  the  Bill  for 
Uniformity,  with  the  Prayer-Book  annexed,  was 
passed  by  the  Commons.  On  the  next  day  the  bill 
went  to  the  House  of  Lords,  which  laid  it  aside, 
and  soon  after  Parliament  was  prorogued  until  No- 
vember 30. 

On  October  10, 1661,  the  King  directed  the  Can- 
terbury Convocation  to  make  a  review  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  and  present  to  him  such  alterations 
as  they  should  see  fit,  and  on  November  22  the 
same  direction  was  given  to  the  York  Convocation. 
They  proceeded  with  their  work,  but  not  as  rapidly 
as  Parliament  desired,  for  it  appears  that  on  Decem- 
ber 16  a  message  went  from  the  Commons  to  the 
Lords  to  remind  them  of  the  Bill  for  Uniformity,  and 
that  on  January  28, 1662,  the  Commons  sent  another 
message  to  the  Lords  requesting  despatch  for  the 
Bill  of  Uniformity.  The  Lords  were  unable  to  pro- 
ceed in  the  matter  because  they  were  waiting  for 
the  amended  Prayer-Book  from  the  Convocations. 
Finally  on  the  25th  of  February,  1 662,  the  amended 
book  was  brought  into  the  House  of  Lords  by  the 
Lord  Chancellor  with  the  King's  ratification.  It  was 
there  considered  on  March  13,  14,  15,  17,  and  18, 
and  then  accepted  by  the  Lords,  and  an  A61  for 
Uniformity,  with  the  Book  as  amended  annexed,  was 
passed  and  sent  to  the  Commons.  There  the  Bill  and 
the  Book  as  amended  were  considered  and  debated 
at  great  length  until  the  Act  of  Uniformity  was 
passed  on  May  19,  requiring  the  amended  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  to  be  used  in  all  the  churches  of 


[  xxxii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


England  on  August  24  following.*  It  was  entitled 
"An  Act  for  the  Uniformity  of  Publick  Prayers,  and 
Administration  of  Sacraments,  and  other  Rites  and 
Ceremonies :  And  for  establishing  the  Form  of  Mak- 
ing, Ordaining  and  Consecrating  Bishops,  Priests 
and  Deacons  in  the  Church  of  England." 

v 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  was  first  printed 
and  used  in  Ireland  in  1551  in  compliance  with  an 
injunction  of  Edward  VI  sent  to  the  Lord  Deputy  in 
February  of  that  year,  but  without  any  action  of  the 
Irish  Parliament.  The  second  Book  of  1552  was  never 
used  in  Ireland.  No  act  was  passed  in  Ireland  to  pro- 
hibit the  use  of  the  Prayer-Book  during  the  reign 
of  Mary,  but  it  ceased  to  be  openly  used  there  after 
the  death  of  Edward  VI  until  the  accession  of  Eliza- 
beth, when  its  use  was  resumed.  In  1560  the  Irish 
Parliament  passed  an  act  of  uniformity  establishing 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  as  it  was  then  esta- 
blished in  England.  The  act,  however,  provided  that 
in  every  church  or  place  where  the  common  minister 
or  priest  had  not  the  use  or  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish tongue,  he  might  say  and  use  all  the  common 
and  open  prayer  in  the  Latin  tongue  in  the  order 
and  form  mentioned  and  set  forth  in  the  Book  es- 
tablished by  the  act.  This  provision  seems  to  have  as- 
sumed that  priests  who  could  not  read  English  could 
translate  it  into  Latin  which  they  could  read.  The 
want  of  a  Latin  version  was,  however,  supplied  by  a 

•  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  ii.  p.  696. 

[  xxxiii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


translation  of  the  English  Book  into  Latin  for  use  in 
the  chapels  of  colleges,  made  by  authority  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  in  1 560.  As  prepared  for  this  use  this  trans- 
lation did  not  contain  all  the  occasional  offices,  but 
these  were  added  in  Latin,  and  the  Book  as  thus  com- 
pleted was  sufficient  for  use  in  places  in  Ireland  where 
the  priest  could  read  Latin ,  but  not  English.  The  Book 
was  not  printed  in  the  Irish  language  until  1608.* 
In  1666,  the  Irish  Parliament  passed  an  a6t  of  uni- 
formity establishing  the  English  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  of  1 662  as  the  service  of  the  Church  of  Ire- 
land, with  the  addition  of  a  prayer  for  the  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant of  Ireland.  The  Prayer-Book  thus  established 
was  entitled  "  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and 
Administration  of  the  Sacraments  and  other  Rites  and 
Ceremonies  of  the  Church,  According  to  the  Use  of 
the  Church  of  Ireland."  This  continued  to  be  the 
title  of  the  Book  until  the  union  of  England  and  Ire- 
land under  the  act  of  union  of  August  1 , 1 800,  which 
took  effect  January  1,  1801.  In  1800  the  Churches 
of  the  two  countries  were  united  as  "The  United 
Church  of  England  and  Ireland."  The  title  of  the 
Book  then  became  "The  Book  of  Common  Prayer," 
etc.,  "According  to  the  Use  of  the  United  Church 
of  England  and  Ireland,"  and  so  continued  until  the 
disestablishment  of  the  Church  in  Ireland  by  acl  of 
Parliament  in  1869.  The  Prayer-Book  was  then  re- 
vised and  changed  in  some  respects  by  a  Synod  of 
the  bishops  and  clergy  in  1875,  and  printed  in  1878 
under  the  title  of  "The  Book  of  Common  Prayer," 
etc.,"  According  to  the  Use  of  the  Church  of  Ireland." 

*It  was  printed  in  French  in  1553  and  in  Welsh  in  1 567. 

[  xxxiv  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  was  never  esta- 
blished by  law  as  the  form  of  the  church  service  in 
Scotland.  James  I,  and  afterwards  Charles  I,  attempt- 
ed to  merge  the  Scottish  and  English  Churches  and 
to  establish  the  English  Liturgy  in  Scotland.  The 
attempt  of  Charles  to  force  the  use  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  in  the  form  prepared  by  Arch- 
bishop Laud  and  others  in  1637  led  to  the  "great 
covenant,"  which  was  signed  throughout  Scotland, 
binding  the  subscribers  to  support  the  reformed 
Church  of  Scotland.  Finally  in  1689  and  1690  the 
Church  of  Scotland  was  established  by  two  statutes 
"Ratifying  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  settleing 
Presbyterian  Church  Government."  Later,  in  1707, 
an  act  was  passed  "for  securing  the  Protestant  Re- 
ligion and  Presbyterian  Church  Government."  This 
was  ratified  in  the  English  act  "  for  an  Union  of  the 
Two  Kingdoms  of  England  and  Scotland"  passed 
in  1707. 

VI 

The  doctrine  and  ritual  of  the  Church  of  England 
are  established  by  Acts  of  Parliament  and  can  only 
be  changed  by  Parliament.  Any  question  with  regard 
to  either  of  them  is  a  question  as  to  the  meaning  of 
the  statute  law  and  can  only  be  decided  by  the  courts 
of  law.  In  such  cases  the  courts  have  no  right  to 
consider  what  the  doctrine  or  the  ritual  ought  to  be, 
but  only  what  the  statute  says  it  is.  Any  distinction 
between  what  is  important  and  what  appears  to  be 
trivial  is  precluded  by  the  fact  that  the  one  is  esta- 
blished by  the  statute  as  much  as  the  other.  The  doc- 

[    XXXV  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


trine  of  the  Church  is  declared  in  the  Thirty-Nine 
Articles  established  by  statute  in  1571.  The  ritual  is 
fixed  by  the  A6t  of  Uniformity  of  1662,  establishing 
the  present  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  Church  orna- 
ments are  prescribed  by  the  A61  of  Uniformity  of 
1 549,  and  clerical  vestments  by  the  Royal  Advertise- 
ments of  1566,  issued  under  the  provisions  of  the 
Act  of  Uniformity  of  1559,  and  which  so  far  as 
authorized  by  that  statute  have  the  force  of  an  Act 
of  Parliament.  The  only  changes  in  any  of  these 
matters  since  1 662  by  Acts  of  Parliament  have  been 
in  1871,  1872  and  1880,  authorizing  the  use  of  a 
different  table  of  lessons,  of  some  shortened  services, 
and  a  slight  departure  in  some  cases  from  the  burial- 
service  of  the  Prayer- Book. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  assumed  that  absolute 
conformity  to  these  rigid  standards  of  do6trine  and 
ritual,  and  of  vestments  and  ornaments,  has  been 
always  enforced.  Much  departure  from  them  was 
allowed  during  the  long  reign  of  Elizabeth,  and  this 
continued  to  some  extent  during  the  reign  of  James  I. 
An  attempt  was  made  by  Archbishop  Laud  to  enforce 
absolute  conformity  under  Charles  I,  but  with  dis- 
astrous results.  More  or  less  departure  from  the 
established  forms  has  ever  since  been  allowed  if  not 
permitted  by  authority.  Elasticity  in  forms  of  wor- 
ship has  thus  been  gained,  and  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  preserved  from  revision.  This  has  been 
done  by  permitting  much  latitude  of  individual  con- 
struction of  the  ornaments  and  vestments  rubrics, 
and  also  by  adding  to  the  services  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  from  time  to  time  occasional  forms  of  prayer 


[  xxxvi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


and  service  promulgated  in  a  few  cases  by  Act  of 
Parliament,  but  generally  by  Royal  Proclamation 
under  the  authority  assumed  to  have  been  given 
the  Crown  by  the  Twenty-sixth  Section  of  the  Act 
of  Uniformity  of  1559,  or  under  the  authority  of 
the  Sovereign  as  the  Supreme  Head  of  the  Church. 
More  than  three  hundred  of  these  forms  have  been 
used,  and,  when  the  reason  which  required  them  in 
each  case  has  ceased,  have  been  generally  discon- 
tinued. A  complete  collection  of  them  probably  does 
not  now  exist,  though  nearly  three  hundred  are  pre- 
served in  the  British  Museum.  I  refer  to  a  few  by 
way  of  illustration. 

In  1563,  at  the  time  of  the  great  plague,  a  form 
was  "set  forth  by  the  Oueenes  Maiesties  speciall 
comaundement  ...  to  be  vsed  in  Common  prayer 
twyse  aweke,  and  also  an  order  of  publique  fast,  to 
be  vsed  euery  Wednesday  in  the  weeke,  during  this 
tyme  of  mortalitie,  and  other  afflictions,  wherwith 
the  Realme  at  this  present  is  visited/' 

In  1626,  during  the  great  Thirty  Years'  War, 
"A  Forme  of  Prayer,  Necessary  to  bee  vsed  in 
these  dangerous  times,  of  Warre  and  Pestilence,  for 
the  safety  and  preseruation  of  his  Maiesty  and  his 
Realmes,"  was  promulgated  by  Charles  I. 

In  1665,  "A  Form  of  Common  Prayer,  with 
Thanksgiving,  for  the  Late  Victory  by  his  Majesties 
Naval  Forces"  was  set  forth.  This  was  during  the 
war  with  the  Dutch,  and  the  victory  was  the  defeat 
of  the  Dutch  in  the  North  Sea,  June  3,  1665. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  in  London,  in  1666, 
"A  Form  of  Common  Prayer,To  be  used  on  Wednes- 

[  xxxvii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


day  the  Tenth  day  of  October  next,  throughout  the 
whole  Kingdom  of  England, and  Dominion  of  Wales, 
being  appointed  by  His  Majesty  a  Day  of  Fasting 
and  Humiliation,  in  Consideration  of  the  late  dread- 
ful Fire,  which  wasted  the  greater  part  of  the  city  of 
London,"  was  "set  forth  by  His  Majesties  special 
Command." 

In  1784,  after  the  acknowledgement  of  the  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States,  there  was  issued 
"  A  Form  of  Prayer,  and  Thanksgiving  to  Almighty 
God ;  to  be  used  in  all  Churches  and  Chapels  through- 
out England,  .  .  .  ,  on  Thursday,  the  Twenty-ninth 
of  July,  being  the  Day  appointed  by  Proclamation  for 
a  General  Thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God,  for  put- 
ting an  End  to  the  late  bloody,  extended,  and  ex- 
pensive War  in  which  we  were  engaged." 

In  1789,  "A  form  of  Prayer  and  Thanksgiving" 
for  the  recovery  of  George  III  "from  the  severe 
illness  with  which  he  hath  been  afflicted"  was  "set 
forth  by  his  Majesty's  special  command." 

In  1 798,  A  Form  of  Prayer  and  Thanksgiving  was 
promulgated  by  royal  proclamation  "for  the  late 
glorious  Victory  obtained  by  His  Majesty's  Ships  of 
War,  under  the  Command  of  Rear  Admiral  Lord 
Nelson  of  the  Nile,  over  the  French  Fleet." 

"A  Form  of  Prayer  and  Thanksgiving  to  Al- 
mighty God;  for  the  Glorious  Victory  obtained  over 
the  French  on  Sunday  the  Eighteenth  Day  of  June, 
at  Waterloo  by  the  Allied  Armies  under  the  Com- 
mand of  .  .  .  the  .  .  .  Duke  of  Wellington  and  .  .  . 
Prince  Blucher.  To  be  used  .  .  .  after  the  General 
Thanksgiving  throughout  the  Cities  of  London  and 


[  xxxviii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Westminster  ...  on  Sunday  the  Second  Day  of  July 
1815;  and  in  all  Churches  and  Chapels  throughout 
England  and  Wales  on  the  Sunday  after  the  Minis- 
ters thereof  shall  have  received  the  same." 

In  1847,  "A  Form  of  Prayer  to  Almighty  God; 
for  relief  from  the  dearth  and  scarcity  now  existing 
in  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom,  owing  to  the  failure 
of  some  of  the  crops  of  the  present  year." 

In  1856,  several  forms  of  Prayer  and  Thanks- 
giving for  success  in  the  war  against  Russia.  One  was 
"Especially  for  the  Capture  of  the  Town  of  Sebas- 
topol ;"  another,"  A  Form  ...  for  a  General  Thanks- 
giving to  Almighty  God ;  for  His  great  Goodness  in 
putting  an  End  to  the  War  in  which  we  were  engaged 
against  Russia." 

In  1 859, "  A  Form  of  Prayer  and  Thanksgiving  to 
Almighty  God ;  for  the  Success  granted  to  our  Arms 
in  suppressing  the  Rebellion  and  restoring  Tranquil- 
ity in  Her  Majesty's  Indian  Dominions." 

In  1 866,  "  A  Special  Form  of  Prayer  to  Almighty 
God;  to  be  read  on  Sunday  the  Twelfth  Day  of 
August,  1866,  and  whenever  Divine  Service  is  cele- 
brated, during  the  prevalence  of  the  Cholera,  and  of 
Cattle  Plague,  in  this  Country." 

In  1887,  "A  Form  of  Thanksgiving  and  Prayer 
to  Almighty  God,  upon  the  completion  of  fifty  years 
of  Her  Majesty's  reign." 

In  addition  to  these  general  forms  of  prayer  and 
special  service  to  be  used  throughout  the  country, 
many  forms  have  been  locally  issued  in  different 
dioceses,  not  only  in  England  but  in  the  colonies. 
In  1852,  in  Colombo  a  form  was  used  "for  receiv- 


[  xxxix  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


ing  Romanists  into  the  Communion  of  the  English 
Church,"  and  similar  forms  were  used  in  South 
Africa. 

Numerous  forms  for  the  consecrating  of  churches, 
chapels  and  church-yards  have  been  prepared  and 
used  under  authority  of  bishops  of  various  dioceses.  In 
some  cases  forms  of  service  have  been  promulgated 
for  the  dedication  of  bells,  for  the  opening  of  new 
bells  and  of  new  clocks,  or  for  the  opening  of  a  new 
organ  in  a  particular  church  or  cathedral.  In  1872 
"A  Special  Form  of  Service"  was  authorized  to  be 
used  in  the  diocese  of  London  for  "an  increased 
supply  of  missionaries."  In  1898  a  "Memorial  Ser- 
vice for  them  that  are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ"  was 
approved  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  Special 
forms  have  also  been  authorized  for  the  reopening 
of  restored  churches,  and  for  blessing  upon  the  fields 
and  fisheries  and  mines. 

Three  special  prayers  were  inserted  in  the  Prayer- 
Book  of  1662  which  have  since  been  discontinued. 
One  was  for  the  30th  of  January,  the  anniversary 
of  the  execution  of  Charles  I;  one  for  the  29th  of 
May,  the  anniversary  of  the  restoration  of  Charles  II ; 
and  the  other  for  the  5th  of  November,  commemo- 
rating the  deliverance  from  the  Gunpowder  Plot. 
These  were  all  in  use  until  1 859,  when  they  were  re- 
moved by  a  royal  warrant,  being  considered  unde- 
sirable from  a  political  point  of  view. 


[  *1  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


VII 

The  English  of  the  Prayer-Book  is  from  various 
sources.  The  scriptural  portions  are  from  the  first 
printed  English  translation  of  the  Bible  by  Cover- 
dale  in  1535,  revised  and  published  in  England  in 
1539,  and  popularly  called,  because  of  its  folio  size, 
the  "Great  Bible."  This  was  followed  by  a  revised 
version  published  under  the  approval  of  the  bishops 
in  1 568,  and  hence  called  "  The  Bishops'  Bible,"  and 
in  1611  by  the  King  James  Version. 

The  portions  which  were  translated  from  the  Latin 
breviary  and  the  forms  of  the  early  Church  were 
probably  the  production  of  Cranmer,  who  was  per- 
haps the  most  effective  master  of  English  style  in 
his  time.  The  result  was  that  not  the  least  inter- 
esting feature  of  this  wonderful  Book  is  its  fine  liter- 
ary style.  It  is  written  in  the  best  English,  as  the 
Roman  service-books  are  written  in  the  worst  Latin. 
Shakespeare  and  Hooker  wrote  in  the  English  of  the 
Prayer-Book,  but  no  great  Latin  writer  ever  wrote 
in  the  Latin  of  the  Roman  breviary  and  missal.  The 
reason  is  obvious.  The  Latin  language  was  not 
adopted  for  the  services  of  the  Christian  Church  until 
it  was  in  its  last  stage  of  decay.  But  the  Prayer-Book 
is  of  "  English  in  all  the  vigour  and  suppleness  of 
youth."  A  great  scholar  has  said :  "To  the  great  Latin 
writers  the  noblest  compositions  of  Ambrose  and 
Gregory  would  have  seemed  to  be  not  only  bad 
writing,  but  senseless  gibberish.  The  diction  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  on  the  other  hand,  has  di- 
rectly or  indirectly  contributed  to  form  the  diction 
of  almost  every  great  English  writer." 

[  «B  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Not  the  least  of  the  benefits  from  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  by  authority 
of  Parliament  has  been  the  protection  against  revi- 
sion which  the  acts  of  uniformity  have  given  the 
language  of  the  Book  and  of  the  Psalter.  As  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  and  of  the 
Psalter  could  be  changed  only  by  Act  of  Parliament, 
the  archaic  but  effective  and  stately  diction  of  the 
Coverdale  translation  of  the  Bible  as  contained  in  the 
Psalter,the  beautiful  style  of  the  offices  of  the  Prayer- 
Book,  and  the  accuracy  of  the  King  James  Version 
in  the  scriptural  parts  of  the  Book  have  been  happily 
preserved.  If  one  desires  to  see  how  valuable  this 
protection  has  been  to  the  Psalter  and  to  the  Prayer- 
Book,  he  has  only  to  turn  to  the  various  special  forms 
of  prayer  which  from  time  to  time  have  been  put 
forth  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  services  re- 
quired by  the  Prayer-Book.  Many  of  these  are  not 
only  verbose,  repetitious  and  inaccurate  in  style,  but 
differ  very  little  from  those  extemporaneous  prayers 
in  which  full  information  is  given  to  the  Deity  as  to 
the  condition  of  affairs  which  He  is  asked  to  remedy. 

Music,  either  vocal  or  instrumental,  is  recognized 
by  the  Prayer-Book  only  in  the  canticles  at  morning 
and  evening  prayer  which  form  fixed  parts  of  the 
services  in  the  Prayer-Books  of  Edward  VI  and 
of  Elizabeth,  and  by  the  direction  in  the  present 
Prayer-Book  of  1662  for  an  anthem  "in  choirs  and 
places  where  they  sing."  But  singing  was  a  part  of 
the  worship  of  the  Church  prior  to  the  First  Prayer- 
Book  of  1549.  There  was  also  in  that  Book  this  di- 
rection in  the  order  for  matins:  "And  (to  thende 


[  *Hi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


the  people  may  the  better  heare)  in  such  places 
where  they  doe  syng,  there  shall  the  lessons  be  songe 
in  a  playne  tune  after  the  maner  of  distincte  read- 
yng:  and  lykewyse  the  Epistle  and  Gospell."  This 
direction  was  retained  in  the  successive  revisions  of 
the  Prayer- Book  until  1662,  when  it  was  omitted  and 
provision  made  for  the  use  of  anthems.  This  was 
probably  because  the  practice  of  singing  the  lessons 
had  been  long  before  discontinued,  and  the  use  of 
anthems  had  become  common.  The  Injunctions  of 
Queen  Elizabeth  issued  in  1 559,  covering  many  mat- 
ters of  worship  not  specifically  provided  for  in  the 
Prayer-Book,  also  permitted  the  continuance  of  sing- 
ing as  follows:  "Because  in  divers  Collegiate,  and 
also  some  Parish-Churches  heretofore,  there  have 
been  Livings  appointed  for  the  maintenance  of  men 
and  children  to  use  singing  in  the  Church,  by  means 
whereof  the  laudable  service  of  Musick  hath  been 
had  in  estimation,  and  preserved  in  knowledge:  the 
Queens  Majesty  neither  meaning  in  any  wise  the 
decay  of  any  thing  that  might  conveniently  tend  to 
the  use  and  continuance  of  the  said  science,  neither 
to  have  the  same  in  any  part  so  abused  in  the  Church, 
that  thereby  the  Common-prayer  should  be  the 
worse  understanded  of  the  hearers,  willeth  and  com- 
mandeth,  that  first  no  alterations  be  made  of  such 
assignments  of  Living,  as  heretofore  hath  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  use  of  singing  or  Musick  in  the  Church, 
but  that  the  same  so  remain.  And  that  there  be  a 
modest  and  distinct  song  so  used  in  all  parts  of  the 
Common-prayers  in  the  Church,  that  the  same  may 
be  as  plainly  understanded,  as  if  it  were  read  without 


[  xliii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


singing,  and  yet  nevertheless  for  the  comforting  of 
such  that  delight  in  Musick,  it  may  be  permitted, 
that  in  the  beginning,  or  in  the  end  of  the  Common- 
prayers,  either  at  Morning  or  Evening,  there  may 
be  sung  an  Hymn,  or  such  like  song  to  the  praise  of 
Almighty  God  in  the  best  sort  of  melody  and  Musick 
that  may  be  conveniently  devised,  having  respect 
that  the  sentence  of  Hymn  may  be  understanded  and 
perceived."  This  quaint  injunction  has  never  been 
withdrawn,  and  to  it  we  owe  the  use  of  hymns,  of 
metrical  versions  of  the  psalms  and  the  modern  an- 
them in  church  service. 

Metrical  versions  of  the  psalms,  to  be  sung  in 
the  churches  and  elsewhere,  were  prepared  and  pub- 
lished and  bound  up  with  various  editions  of  the 
Prayer-Book  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centu- 
ries. The  first  was  prepared  by  Thomas  Sternholde, 
John  Hopkins  and  others  in  1562,  and  was  known 
as  the  Sternholde  and  Hopkins  Psalms.  Another  me- 
trical version  was  prepared  in  1696, by  Nicholas  Tate 
and  Nahum  Brady,  and  was  known  as  the  "New 
Version"  or  as  Tate  and  Brady's  Psalms.  The  use 
of  this  version  in  church  service  was  allowed  by  an 
order  of  the  King  in  Council,  December  3,  1696. 
Aside  from  this  order  and  from  the  injunctions  of 
Elizabeth,  which  have  been  claimed  to  allow  it,  the 
use  of  these  metrical  versions  in  church  service  had 
no  civil  or  ecclesiastical  authority,  and  it  gradually 
ceased  in  connection  with  the  use  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.  The  last  edition  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  that  I  have  found  in  which  the  metrical  psalms 
were  bound  up  is  one  of  1828.  Much  of  the  singing 


[  xliv  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

now  used  in  the  service  of  the  English  Church  is  with- 
out any  authority  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
but  the  use  of  hymns  has  had  judicial  sanction,  and 
music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental,  as  a  part  of  the 
church  service  has  been  practised  and  accepted  as 
lawful  to  such  an  extent  that  no  court  or  other  au- 
thority would  now  declare  it  illegal. 

The  Psalter  used  in  connection  with  the  Prayer- 
Book  was  from  the  revised  Coverdale  translation  of 
1539,  probably  from  an  edition  published  in  1548  by 
Grafton,  the  King's  printer,  entitled  "The  Psalter 
or  Psalms  of  David,  after  the  translation  of  the  Great 
Bible,  pointed  as  it  should  be  sung  in  Churches." 
This  edition  contained  besides  the  psalms  several 
canticles  and  the  Litany,  and  the  psalms  differed  in 
some  slight  respects  from  those  in  the  Great  Bible. 
In  1662  most  of  the  scriptural  parts  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  were  revised  to  conform  to  the  re- 
vision of  1611 ;  but  the  Psalter,  which  was  then  for 
the  first  time  made  an  authorized  part  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer,  was  not  thus  revised,  and  was 
adopted  in  the  form  in  which  it  was  originally  pre- 
pared from  the  Coverdale  translation  in  1548.  The 
first  Pray  er-Book  of  Edward  VI,  and  each  succeeding 
Prayer-Book,  contained  "  a  table  for  the  order  of  the 
Psalms  to  be  said  at  matins  and  evensong,"  and  an 
order  "  how  the  Psalter  is  bound  to  be  read."  But  the 
Psalter  was  no  part  of  the  Prayer-Book  as  established 
by  Parliament  in  the  various  acts  of  uniformity  until 
1662. 

The  original  editions  of  the  Book  of  1 549  have  no 
Psalter  bound  up  with  them.  The  first  edition  of  the 


[  xlv  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  which  the  Psalter  was 
printed  and  bound  up  with  the  Prayer-Book  was  the 
quarto  edition  of  the  second  Book  of  Edward  VI, 
printed  by  Whitchurch  in  November,  1552,  and  there 
it  is  found  with  a  separate  title-page  following  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  itself.  In  Merbecke's  "  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  Noted,"  printed  in  1550,  the 
Psalter  is  not  included.  In  the  French  translation  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  made  in  1553,  the 
Psalter  is  not  included.  In  the  Latin  translation  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  by  Aless,  made  by  direc- 
tion of  Cranmer,  and  printed  in  Leipsic  in  1551,  the 
Psalter  is  not  included.  The  first  Prayer-Book  of 
Elizabeth  of  1559  did  not  contain  the  Psalter,  nor 
was  the  same  bound  up  with  the  first  edition  of  the 
Book.  But  there  is  found  bound  with  this  edition  the 
Ordinal  or  form  and  manner  of  making  and  conse- 
crating bishops,  priests  and  deacons.  The  King  James 
Prayer-Book,  so-called,  does  not  comprise,  nor  is 
there  bound  up  with  it  in  the  first  editions,  either  the 
Psalter  or  the  Ordinal.  The  Prayer-Book  prepared 
for  the  use  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  in  1637,  under 
the  reign  of  Charles  I,  commonly  known  as  "Laud's 
Book,"  does  not  comprise,  nor  is  there  bound  up  with 
the  first  edition  of  it,  either  the  Psalter  or  the  Ordinal. 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  as  established  by 
the  Act  of  Uniformity  of  Charles  II,  in  1662,  first 
included  the  Psalter  as  a  part  of  the  authorized  Book. 
It  was  entitled  in  the  act  "  The  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  and  Administration  of  the  Sacraments  and 
other  Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Church  according 
to  the  use  of  the  Church  of  England ;  together  with 


[  xlvi  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


the  Psalter  or  Psalms  of  David,  Pointed  as  they  are 
to  be  sung  or  said  in  Churches;  and  the  Form  and 
manner  of  Making,  Ordaining  and  Consecrating  of 
Bishops,  Priests  and  Deacons."  In  this  Book,  as  has 
been  stated,  the  scriptural  parts  of  the  Prayer-Book 
were  made  to  conform  to  the  King  James  Version 
of  161 1.  But  the  Psalter  was  the  same  as  that  which 
was  prepared  from  the  Great  Bible  in  1548  and 
came  into  use  with  the  Prayer-Book  of  154-9-  The 
Coverdale  Psalter  was  thus  used  in  connection  with 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  without  its  being 
made  a  part  of  the  Book  by  authority  of  Parliament 
from  1549  to  1662.  It  was  adopted  as  a  part  of  the 
Book  by  the  Act  of  Uniformity  of  1662  and  was 
also  adopted  as  a  part  of  the  American  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  in  1 790,  notwithstanding  the  vari- 
ous revisions  of  the  psalms  by  other  translators,  and 
especially  the  King  James  revision  in  1611.  This 
shows  that  this  form  of  the  psalms  must  have  had 
some  peculiar  quality  which  adapted  it  for  use  in 
church  service,  or  which  caused  the  people  to  be 
attached  to  it,  so  that  they  would  not  permit  it  to  be 
changed.  I  am  told  by  those  competent  to  know  that 
the  reason  this  ancient  form  of  the  psalms  has  been 
retained  in  church  worship  is  because  it  is  better 
adapted  to  be  sung  or  chanted  than  the  subsequent 
versions.  There  may,  however,  I  think,  be  still  an- 
other reason  in  the  facl  that  this  version  was  better 
adapted  to  be  committed  to  memory  and  repeated  by 
those  who  could  not  read.  The  Psalter  was  in  use 
before  the  Prayer-Book  was  made,  and  at  that  time 
and  for  many  years  after,  most  of  the  people  who 


[  xlvii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


used  the  psalms  were  probably  unable  to  read  them, 
and  therefore  learned  them  by  rote  so  that  they 
could  sing  or  repeat  them  in  service.  What  propor- 
tion of  the  people  who  worshipped  in  the  English 
Church  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  could  read,  it 
is,  of  course,  impossible  to  tell,  but  it  was  probably 
small.  However,  whatever  may  be  the  reason,  the 
interesting  fact  remains  that  this  original  translation 
of  the  psalms  by  Coverdale  has  held  its  place  against 
all  revision  for  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  wherever  the  service  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  has  been  used. 


vm 

One  reason  for  making  a  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
which  should  comprise  all  the  devotional  services  of 
the  Church  was  the  large  expense  then  required  of 
each  parish  to  provide  a  complete  set  of  the  books 
used  in  worship  according  to  the  Roman  ritual.  The 
service-books  of  the  Church  before  the  Prayer-Book 
were  not  only  in  Latin,  but  were  numerous.  The  dif- 
ferent services  were  contained  in  different  books. 
These  books  contained  not  only  the  language  of  the 
service  to  be  used  by  the  priest,  which  was  written 
or  printed  in  black,  but  also  minute  directions  for 
the  ceremonies  according  to  which  the  words  were 
to  be  used.  These  directions  were  known  as  rubrics, 
as  they  were  originally  written  or  printed  in  red. 
There  were  also  service-books  for  different  saints' 
days,  which  were  very  numerous,  and  each  of  which 
had  its  own  psalms,  lessons,  etc.  The  fully  equipped 


[  xlviii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


parish  church  required  for  all  the  services  according 
to  the  Roman  ritual  a  small  library  of  service-books. 

The  most  important  of  them  were  the  Missal,  or 
Mass-book,  being  the  Communion  Office,  the  Brevi- 
ary, for  the  ordinary  daily  service  of  matins,  lauds, 
evensong,  etc.,  and  also  in  many  cases  the  service 
known  as  the  "Hours  of  the  Dead,"  "Hours  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,"  etc.  Then  there  was  the  Manual, 
containing  the  occasional  offices,  such  as  those  for 
baptism,  visitation  of  the  sick,  marriage,  burial  of  the 
dead,  benedictions  of  water,  candles,  etc.,  extreme 
unction,  and  in  some  cases  portions  of  the  mass  for 
special  occasions.  There  was  also  a  book  called  the 
Gradual,  for  use  at  the  mass,  containing  the  musical 
part  of  the  Communion  service.  The  Psalterium  was 
another  book,  which  contained  the  psalms.  The  Le- 
genda  was  a  book  containing  readings  from  the  lives 
of  the  Saints  and  from  the  Fathers,  as  well  as  from 
the  Scripture.  The  Antiphonarium  was  a  book  con- 
taining the  musical  notation  for  antiphons  sung  at 
the  services  of  the  hours  and  for  mass,  invitatory 
psalms,  responses,  etc.  There  were  other  books  for 
the  Gospels  and  Epistles  at  mass,  and  an  Ordinale 
or  "Pie,"  said  to  have  been  so  called  from  the  spotted 
appearance  of  its  tables,  to  enable  one  to  find  the 
proper  office  appointed  for  any  particular  day.  Then 
there  was  the  Pontijicale, containing  offices  that  could 
be  performed  only  by  a  bishop,  such  as  those  of  ordi- 
nation, consecration,  etc.;  and  then  the  Processionale, 
containing  directions  for  the  ordering  of  processions, 
etc.  The  service-books  had  become  so  numerous, 
and  the  manner  of  their  use  so  complicated,  that,  as 


[  xlix  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


the  preface  of  the  Prayer- Book  states,  "many  times 
there  was  more  business  to  find  out  what  should  be 
done,  than  to  read  it  when  it  was  found  out." 

The  preface  to  the  first  Prayer- Book  also  said: 
"Curates  shall  need  no  other  books  for  their  public 
service  but  this  book  and  the  Bible,  by  the  means 
whereof  the  people  shall  not  be  at  so  great  charge 
for  books  as  in  time  past  they  have  been."  To  ensure 
this  it  was  commanded  by  royal  proclamation  that 
no  person  should  sell  the  book  of  1549  above  the 
price  of  two  shillings  and  twopence,  and  if  bound 
not  above  the  price  of  four  shillings  apiece.  The  price 
of  the  book  of  1552  was  fixed  in  the  same  way  at 
two  shillings  sixpence  unbound,  bound  in  parchment 
at  three  shillings  and  fourpence,and  bound  in  leather 
at  four  shillings.  But  it  was  provided  that  if  the 
printer,  after  the  first  impression,  left  out  the  form 
of  making  and  consecrating  archbishops,  bishops, 
priests  and  deacons,  he  should  sell  the  book  unbound 
for  two  shillings,  bound  for  two  shillings  eightpence, 
and  bound  in  leather  for  three  shillings  and  four- 
pence,  and  "not  above."  There  does  not  appear, 
however,  to  have  been  any  proclamation  regulating 
the  price  of  the  Prayer-Books  of  Elizabeth  and  of 
Charles  II. 

The  Book  of  Common  Prayer  as  prepared  and 
presented  to  Parliament  in  1549  was  of  course  in 
manuscript,  for  it  was  drawn  up  as  an  original  work. 
But  the  subsequent  acts  of  uniformity  establishing  the 
successive  revisions  of  the  Prayer-Book  all  annexed 
the  Book  which  was  revised. The  Act  of  1552  speaks 
of  "forme  of  prayer  and  other  rites  contained  in 

[  1  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


the  Book  annexed  to  this  Act."  The  Act  of  1559 
refers  to  the  Book  of  1552  as  altered  and  added  to, 
and  it  is  known  that  a  copy  of  it  was  a  schedule  of 
the  act.  The  "  Directory  for  the  Publick  Worship  of 
God  in  the  Three  Kingdoms,"  of  1645,  was  annexed 
to  the  Ordinance  for  taking  away  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  and  establishing  the  Directory.  The  Act 
of  1662  speaks  of  the  "  Book  annexed  hereto."  The 
original  book  used  in  the  preparation  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  of  1662  was  a  black-letter  edition  of  1636, upon 
the  margin  of  which  the  changes  were  written,  and 
from  the  text  of  which  those  portions  omitted  were 
struck  out.  From  this  Book  thus  revised  a  manuscript 
book  was  written  out  and  signed  by  Convocation, 
December  20, 1661,  and  annexed  to  the  Act  of  Uni- 
formity of  1662.  This  book  was  for  many  years  sup- 
posed to  be  lost,  but  was  finally  discovered  in  1867 
in  a  disused  closet  in  the  library  of  the  House  of 
Lords,  and  with  it  was  found  the  printed  book  of 
1636,  the  existence  of  which  up  to  that  time  was  un- 
known. A  facsimile  copy  of  the  printed  book,  with  an 
introduction  by  Dean  Stanley  of  Westminster,  was 
made  in  1 871 ,  and  a  facsimile  of  the  manuscript  book 
in  1899,  both  by  authority  of  the  government. 

Repeated  attempts  have  been  made  to  revise  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  since  1662.  In  1668  a  re- 
vision was  recommended  by  Charles  II  in  a  speech 
from  the  throne,  but  the  Commons  would  have  none 
of  it.  In  1673  and  1675  further  attempts  were  made 
to  that  effect.  In  1681  the  Bishop  of  Worcester  pro- 
posed changes  to  allow  greater  freedom  in  the  mat- 
ter of  vestments  and  in  the  Communion  and  other 

[  «  1 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


offices,  but  without  effect.  In  1689  Parliament  re- 
quested the  King  to  summon  a  Convocation  "to  be 
advised  with  in  ecclesiastical  matters."  He  accord- 
ingly appointed  a  commission  of  ten  bishops  and 
twenty  clerics  to  prepare  alterations  of  the  liturgy 
and  canons,  and  the  commissioners  made  an  elabo- 
rate series  of  alterations  in  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  The  opposition  of  Convocation  to  these  alter- 
ations was  so  obvious,  however,  that  they  were  never 
submitted  to  it.  In  1879  changes  with  regard  to  orna- 
ments and  vestments  were  drawn  up  by  Convocation 
and  presented  to  the  Queen  with  a  draft  bill,  but  no 
further  action  was  taken  thereunder.  In  1904  a  royal 
commission  was  appointed  by  Edward  VII  to  inquire 
into  the  conduct:  of  divine  service  in  the  Church  of 
England  and  as  to  the  ornaments  and  fittings  of 
churches,  and  make  recommendations.  This  commis- 
sion made  an  elaborate  report  in  1906,  recommend- 
ing that  letters  of  business  should  be  issued  to  the 
Convocations  to  consider  the  preparation  of  a  new 
rubric  relating  to  ornaments,  "with  a  view  to  the 
enactment  by  Parliament  of  such  modifications  in 
the  existing  law  relating  to  the  conduct  of  divine  ser- 
vice and  to  the  ornaments  and  fittings  of  churches  as 
may  tend  to  secure  the  greater  elasticity  which  a  rea- 
sonable recognition  of  the  comprehensiveness  of  the 
Church  of  England, and  of  its  present  needs,  seems  to 
demand."  Upon  this  report  no  action  has  been  taken. 

Indeed,  a  revision  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
even  if  desirable, — which  may  well  be  doubted, — 
seems  almost  impossible.  It  can  be  altered  only  by  an 
act  of  Parliament.  Parliament  would  probably  not  act 

[  is  1 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


without  previous  action  by  Convocation.  The  differ- 
ences between  the  different  parties  within  the  Church 
itself  are  such  that  it  is  quite  improbable  Convoca- 
tion would  agree  upon  any  material  alteration.  But 
if  it  did,  the  alterations  would  still  have  to  be  passed 
by  the  Commons,  the  members  of  which  are  of  all 
religious  views,  and  some  of  them  with  no  special 
religious  views.  It  would  then  have  to  pass  the 
Lords,  where,  in  respect  to  alterations  of  the  liturgy, 
the  Lords  Spiritual  would  probably  have  effective  if 
not  constructive  influence. 


IX 

All  the  English  colonies  were  assumed  to  be  a 
part  of  the  Diocese  of  London.  The  Bishop  of  that 
Diocese  administered  the  affairs  of  the  Church  in  the 
colonies  by  Commissaries,*  who  supplied  to  some  ex- 
tent the  office  of  a  bishop,  although  they  could  not  ad- 
minister the  rite  of  confirmation,  or  ordain  or  depose 
priests  or  deacons.  No  person  could  be  confirmed  in 
the  Anglican  or  Episcopal  Church  in  America  until 
after  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Seabury  in  1784. 
If  a  person  desired  confirmation,  or  if  the  ordination 
of  a  priest  or  deacon  was  required,  it  could  be  ac- 
complished only  by  crossing  the  ocean  to  a  bishop 
in  England.  This  caused  many  of  the  clergy  to  omit 
that  part  of  the  baptismal  service  which  required  the 
sponsors  to  take  the  baptized  child  to  the  Bishop  for 
confirmation  at  a  suitable  age. 

*The  first  Commissary  appointed  in  the  United  States  was  James  Blair 
of  Virginia,  who  was  appointed  in  1689,  and  served  for  fifty-three  years. 
Hawkes's  Contributions,  p.  73. 

r 1 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Prior  to  the  Revolution  the  English  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  was  used  in  the  Episcopal  churches  in 
the  colonies,  as  it  was  used  in  the  English  churches 
in  England.  Only  one  edition  of  it  in  English  is  known 
to  have  been  published  in  America,  and  that  was 
printed  by  William  Bradford  in  1710  under  the 
auspices  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York.  Five  years 
later  a  portion  of  the  Prayer-Book,  containing  Morn- 
ing and  Evening  Prayer,  the  Litany,  Church  Cate- 
chism, etc.,  was  translated  into  the  Mohawk  lan- 
guage, published  in  New  York,  and  known  as  the 
First  Mohawk  Prayer-Book.  Following  this  there 
were  several  adaptations  of  portions  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  to  devotional  purposes,  notably  an  Abridge- 
ment of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  by  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  Sir  Francis  Dashwood,  printed  in  1 773 ; 
a  Communion  Office  prepared  by  Samuel  Seabury, 
Bishop  of  Connecticut,  in  1 786 ;  a  manual  reproduced 
from  the  Scottish  Liturgy  of  1764;  and  the  A,  B,  C, 
Church  of  England  Catechism  and  Prayers, published 
in  Philadelphia  by  the  Academy  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  The  "Seabury  Communion  Of- 
fice," so-called,  was  prepared  from  the  Scottish  Com- 
munion Office,  being  in  fact  almost  identical  with  that 
of  the  Office  of  1764,  with  certain  private  devotions 
added  to  it.  It  was  prepared  by  Bishop  Seabury  in 
pursuance  of  an  understanding  which  he  had  with 
the  Scotch  Bishops  when  he  was  consecrated  that  he 
would  endeavour  to  introduce  the  Scottish  Com- 
munion Office  into  the  services  of  the  Church  in 
America. 

Worship  according  to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 


L  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

was  very  objectionable  to  most  of  the  first  settlers 
of  New  England.  Many  of  the  early  New  England 
ministers  had  been  driven  out  of  England  because 
they  were  unwilling  to  accept  the  use  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  when  Archbishop  Laud  sought  to  compel  uni- 
versal conformity  in  matters  of  public  worship.  In 
New  York,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  other  colonies 
to  the  south,  a  different  feeling  prevailed,  and  as 
persons  were  punished  by  law  in  New  England  for 
worshipping  according  to  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  so  they  were  punished  in  Virginia  for  wor- 
shipping in  any  other  way.  The  use  of  that  form  of 
worship,  however,  had  gained  ground  even  in  the 
northern  colonies,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution 
there  were  churches  worshipping  according  to  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  all  the  colonies.  After 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  however,  it  was 
impossible  for  the  priests  to  use  the  prayers  for  the 
King  and  the  Royal  family  with  loyalty  to  the  new 
government,  or  even  with  safety  to  themselves.  Such 
prayers  were,  therefore,  omitted  in  most  churches, 
and  the  use  of  the  Prayer-Book  made  to  conform  to 
the  new  conditions  as  well  as  might  be.  When  the 
independence  of  the  colonies  was  acknowledged  by 
England  it  became  necessary  to  have  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  modified  to  suit  the  new  order  of 
things,  and  it  also  became  necessary  to  have  bishops 
chosen  and  consecrated  for  an  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States.  To  preserve  the  apostolic  succes- 
sion it  was  thought  by  many  that  these  bishops  should 
be  consecrated  by  the  English  bishops,  but  this  could 
not  be  done  without  an  a6t  of  Parliament  permitting 

[  »v  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


such  bishops  to  be  consecrated  without  taking  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  English  Crown.  The  Scotch 
bishops,  however,  had  no  such  difficulty  in  their  way, 
and  the  Reverend  Samuel  Seabury,  having  been  re- 
commended by  the  clergy  of  Connecticut,  was  conse- 
crated as  bishop  by  three  Scotch  bishops  in  Aberdeen, 
November  14,  1784. 

In  October  of  the  following  year  a  convention  of 
sixteen  clergymen  and  twenty-six  lay  deputies  met 
in  Philadelphia  and  prepared  a  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  to  be  proposed  for  adoption  by  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States.  Hence  this  book  was 
known  as  "The  Proposed  Book."  The  book  made 
many  important  changes  in  the  established  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.  It  omitted  the  Nicene  and  Atha- 
nasian  Creeds  entirely,  and  also  omitted  from  the 
Apostles' Creed  the  words  "  He  descended  into  hell," 
etc.  It  contained  a  special  form  of  prayer  and  thanks- 
giving to  be  used  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  This  form 
was  so  framed  that  it  could  have  been  used  but  by 
few  of  the  clergy  without  subjecting  them  to  ridicule 
and  censure ,  for  most  of  them  had  opposed  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  and  adhered  to  the  Crown 
during  the  Revolution. 

The  Proposed  Book  was  not  well  received,  and 
was  used  in  only  a  few  places  and  for  a  short  time.  It 
was  never,  I  think,  used  in  New  England.  It  was 
not  even  used  as  the  basis  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  which  was  subsequently  adopted  by  the 
Church  in  the  United  States.  It  is  now  very  rare  and 
only  important  as  an  incident  in  the  history  of  the 
American  Church.  The  Proposed  Book  was  reprinted 


[  W  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


in  England,  and  submitted  to  the  English  bishops  for 
their  examination  in  connection  with  the  proceedings 
then  on  foot  for  the  consecration  of  bishops  in  the 
United  States.  They  disapproved  the  book  because  it 
omitted  the  Nicene  and  Athanasian  Creeds,  changed 
the  Apostles'  Creed,  and  contained  a  form  of  service 
to  be  used  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  for  other 
reasons. 

In  the  meantime  Parliament  had  passed  an  Act 
authorizing  the  English  bishops  to  consecrate  "  per- 
sons being  subjects  or  citizens  of  countries  outside 
of  his  Majesty's  dominions  bishops"  without  their 
taking  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and  on  Sunday  the 
fourth  day  of  February,  1 787,  in  the  chapel  of  Lam- 
beth Palace,  London,  the  Reverend  William  White 
was  consecrated  as  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the 
Reverend  Samuel  Provoost  as  Bishop  of  New  York. 
Each  of  them  had  been  "elected  to  the  office  of  a 
bishop"  by  a  convention  in  the  state  for  which  he 
was  consecrated  as  bishop,  and  the  certificates  of 
their  consecration  expressly  state  this  fact.  The  con- 
secration was  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and 
the  Archbishop  of  York,  the  Bishops  of  Bath  and 
Wells  and  of  Peterborough  assisting. 

On  July  28, 1789,  a  new  convention  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church  met  at  Philadelphia  to  endeavour  to 
prepare  a  new  Prayer-Book.  The  result  of  their 
work  was  a  Book  which  was  a  revision  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  of  1662,  and  was  published  in 
1 790,  to  be  in  use  from  and  after  October  1  st  of  that 
year.  It  was  printed  in  Philadelphia  by  Hall  and 
Sellers,  and  its  title  was  "The  Book  of  Common 


[  M  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


Prayer,  and  Administration  of  the  Sacraments,  and 
other  Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Church,  accord- 
ing to  the  Use  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States  of  America :  Together  with  the 
Psalter  or  Psalms  of  David."  There  was  also  printed 
and  bound  up  with  it  the  "Tate  and  Brady"  metrical 
version  of  the  Psalms  and  thirty-seven  hymns,  which 
were  required  to  be  used  before  and  after  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer,  and  before  and  after  sermons 
at  the  discretion  of  the  minister.  The  whole  of  this 
metrical  version  of  the  Psalms  was  printed  with  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  its  successive  revisions 
from  1790  to  1835.  From  1835  to  1871  only  selec- 
tions were  thus  printed,  and  in  1871  the  General 
Convention  authorized  the  new  Hymnal;  and  the 
"  selections  from  the  Psalms  of  David"  ceased  to  be 
printed  with  the  Prayer-Book. 

This  American  Book  of  Common  Prayer  had  no 
civil  sanction  like  the  English  Book,  but  was  wholly 
the  work  of  the  clergy  and  the  laity  in  convention. 
It  has  ever  since  been  and  is  now  subject  to  altera- 
tion to  any  extent  by  the  action  of  both  the  clergy  and 
the  laity  in  two  successive  General  Conventions  of 
the  Church  in  the  United  States.  During  the  first  cen- 
tury of  its  existence  it  has  been  revised  seven  times. 
These  various  revisions  are  called  "Standard  Prayer- 
Books."  The  Book  of  1789  is  the  first  Standard. 
The  second  Standard  was  made  in  1 793 ;  the  third 
in  1822;  the  fourth  in  1832;  the  fifth  in  1838;  the 
sixth  in  1845  and  the  seventh  in  1871.  The  eighth, 
which  is  the  present  Standard  Book,  was  authorized 
by  the  General  Convention  in  October,  1892,  after 


[  lviii  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 


the  report  of  a  committee  appointed  by  it  in  1880, 
who  worked  upon  the  matter  for  twelve  years. 

No  General  Convention  of  the  Church  meets  with- 
out some  proposal  to  revise  and  improve  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  no  book 
subject  to  such  perpetual  attack  and  such  constant, 
although  perhaps  in  the  main  unimportant,  altera- 
tions is  likely  to  gain  such  a  permanent  hold  upon  the 
Church  as  a  book  which  is  practically  unrevisable, 
like  the  English  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  It  is  an 
interesting  fact,  however,  that  the  various  changes 
which  have  been  made  in  the  American  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  as  first  framed  have,  on  the  whole, 
caused  it  to  conform  more  and  more  to  the  Prayer- 
Book  of  Edward  VI.  For  illustration,  in  the  Morning 
Prayer  the  final  verses  of  the  BenedicJus,  which  were 
left  out  of  the  first  American  Prayer-Book,  have 
been  restored.  In  the  Evening  Prayer  the  Magnificat 
and  the  Nunc  Dimittis  have  been  restored  and  the 
full  number  of  versicles  placed  after  the  Creed.  In 
the  Communion  Office  permission  has  been  given  to 
omit  the  Decalogue  except  once  on  Sunday,  which 
is  an  approximation  to  the  First  Book  of  Edward  VI, 
which  did  not  have  the  Decalogue  at  all.  The  pro- 
visions which  have  been  adopted  for  shortening 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  are  also  a  partial  return 
to  these  services  as  set  forth  in  the  First  Prayer- 
Book. 

I  feel  that  I  cannot  better  conclude  this  brief  sketch 
of  the  history  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  than 
by  quoting  the  words  of  Stanley,  Dean  of  West- 
minster: "The  Prayer-book  as  it  stands  is  a  long 


[  Hx  ] 


THE  BOOK  OF  COMMON  PRAYER 

gallery  of  Ecclesiastical  History,  which,  to  be  under- 
stood and  enjoyed  thoroughly,  absolutely  compels 
a  knowledge  of  the  greatest  events  and  names  of 
all  periods  of  the  Christian  Church.  To  Ambrose  we 
owe  the  present  form  of  our  Te  Deum;  Charlemagne 
breaks  the  silence  of  our  Ordination  prayers  by  the 
Veni  Creator  Spiritus.  The  Persecutions  have  given 
us  one  creed,  and  the  Empire  another.  The  name 
of  the  first  great  Patriarch  of  the  Byzantine  Church 
closes  our  daily  service ;  the  Litany  is  the  bequest  of 
the  first  great  Patriarch  of  the  Latin  Church,  amidst 
the  terrors  of  the  Roman  pestilence.  Our  collects 
are  the  joint  productions  of  the  Fathers,  the  Popes, 
and  the  Reformers.  Our  Communion  Service  bears 
the  traces  of  every  fluctuation  of  the  Reformation, 
through  the  two  extremes  of  the  reign  of  Edward 
to  the  conciliating  policy  of  Elizabeth,  and  the  re- 
actionary zeal  of  the  Restoration.  The  more  com- 
prehensive, the  more  free,  the  more  impartial,  is  our 
study  of  any  or  every  branch  of  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory, the  more  will  it  be  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
and  with  the  letter  of  the  Church  of  England." 


C  i*  ] 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


Page 

1085  The  Missal  of  the  Use  of  Sarum  x 

1534  Act  of  Supremacy  of  Henry  VIII  vi 

1536  The  Ten  Articles  of  our  Faith  xiii 

1 539  The  Six  Articles  xiii 

1540  The  "Great  Bible"  set  up  in  churches  as  the 
"authorized  version"  vi 

1543   Committee  of  Convocation  commissioned  to 

revise  service-books  vii 

1543  "A  Necessary  Doctrine  and  Erudition  for  any 
Christian  Man,"  published  xiii 

1544  First  English  Litany  prepared  by  Cranmer  and 

ordered  for  use  in  churches  vii 

1545  Primer  of  Henry  the  Eighth  vii,  xi,  xii 

1547,  Jan.  j  1.  Accession  of  King  Edward  VI  xv 

1548,  March  8.  English  Order  of  the  Communion 

added  to  the  Latin  Mass  vii,  viii,  xv 

1549,  Jan.  21.  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer:  First 

Book  of  Edward  VI  adopted                          iii,  xv,  xvi 
1550  The  English  Ordinal  prepared  and  published  xviii 
1552,  April  15.  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer:  Se- 
cond Book  of  Edward  VI  receives  royal  assent  xv-xvii 
1552  The  Forty-Two  Articles  of  Edward  VI  xiii,  xiv 

1558,  Nov.  1  J.  Accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth  xx 

1558  Aft  of  Supremacy  of  Queen  Elizabeth  xx 

1559  The  Eleven  Articles  xiv 

1559,  April  28.  Elizabethan  Book  of  Common  Prayer 

receives  royal  assent  xx,  xxi 

1562  The  Thirty-Nine  Articles  xiv 

1603,  May  J.  Accession  of  James  I  xxvi 

1604  The  Hampton  Court  Conference  xxvi 

1637  The  Scottish  Service-book  xviii 
1644  The  Directory  for  the  public  worship  of  God 

replaces  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  xxviii 

1 660  The  use  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  revived  xxxi 

[  m  ] 


CHRONOLOGICAL  TABLE 


1662,  May  19.  Act  of  Uniformity  for  the  present 

English  Book  of  Common  Prayer  xxxii,  xxxiii 

1666  The  Irish  A£t  of  Uniformity  xxxiv 

1786  The  "Proposed  Book"  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  lvi 

1789  The  first  of  the  eight  Standard  Editions  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  according  to  the  Use 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America  lvii,  lviii 


[  lxiv  ] 


INDEX 


INDEX 


"Advertisements"  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  xxii,  xxiii,  xxxvi. 

Ambrosian  liturgy,  see  Milan, 
Liturgy  of. 

American  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  lvii-lix. 

Anglo-Saxon  liturgy,  x. 

Articles  of  faith,  xii-xiv. 

Bishops'  Bible,  xli ;  bishops' 
book,  xiii. 

"  Black-Rubric,"  so-called,  xviii. 

"Book  annexed,"  meaning  of 
the,  1,  li. 

Book  of  Common  Prayer:  Ad- 
aptation of  early  rites,  cere- 
moniesand  formsof  devotion, 
v,  xii;  general  characteriza- 
tion of,  iii-v,  xli.  —  English  : 
First  book  established  as  a 
complete  liturgy  by  the  act  of 
the  state,  iii,  xv  ;  objected  to 
by  many,  xvi  ;  revised  book 
of  1552,  xvii ;  its  use  pro- 
scribed by  Queen  Mary's 
Acts,  xix,  xx ;  Elizabethan 
revision,  xx-xxii;  Hampton 
Court  Conferenceandresults, 
xxvi,  xxvii ;  proscribed  by  Par- 
liament in  1644,  xxviii,  xxix; 
revision  of  1661-62,  xxxi- 
xxxiii,  li ;  sources  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer,  xli;  lan- 
guage and  style,  xiii;  selling 
price  of  first  and  second 
Prayer-Book  of  Edward,  1 ;  at- 
tempted revisions  after  1662, 
li-liii ;  the  Prayer-Book  in  the 
American  colonies,  liii-lv  ;  for 
use  in  Scotland,  xxviii,  xxxv; 


for  use  in  Ireland,  xxxiii, 
xxxiv. — According  to  the 
Use  of  the  Church  of  Ireland, 
xxxiv,  xxxv. — According  to 
the  Use  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America, 
lviii,  lix. 
Book  of  Hours,  see  Primer. 

Celtic  liturgy,  ix. 

Charles  I.,  xxvii. 

Charles  II.,  xxxi. 

Clementine  liturgy,  see  James, 
St.,  Liturgy  of. 

Commissaries  in  the  American 
colonies,  liii. 

Convocation,  meaning  of  the 
term,  viii,  note. 

Coverdale's  translation  of  the 
Bible,  xli;  retained  in  the 
Psalter  of  the  present  Prayer- 
Book,  xiii,  xlv-xlviii. 

Cranmer,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury and  his  work  on  the 
English  liturgy,  vii,  xiii,  xv, 
xli. 

Directory  for  the  publique 
Worship  of  God,  xxviii-xxx. 

Edward  VI.,  xv-xix. 
Eleven  Articles,  the,  of  1559, 
xiv. 

Elizabeth,    Queen,  xx-xxxvi; 

excommunicated,  xxii-xxv. 
Ephesine  liturgy,  see  John,  St., 

Liturgy  of. 

Forms  of  Common  Prayer, 
general  and  local,  xxxvi-xl; 


[  Ixvii  ] 


INDEX 


character  of  their  language 
and  style,  xlii. 
Forty-Two  Articles,the,xiii,xiv. 

Gallican  liturgy,  ix. 
"Great  Bible,"  the,  xli;  set  up 

in  churches  as  the  authorized 

version,  vi,  xiv. 

H  ampton  Court  Conference, 
xxvi. 

Henry  VIII,  attitude  toward 
reformation  of  church  and 
liturgy,  xiv,  xv ;  primer  of,  vii, 
xi,  xii. 

Injunctions  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, xxii,  xxiii,  xliii,  xliv. 

"Institution  of  a  Christian 
Man,"  of  1537,  xiii. 

Ireland  and  the  Prayer-Book, 
xxxiii,  xxxiv. 

James,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  viii,  ix. 
James  I,  xxvi-xxviii. 
John,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  ix. 

King  Henry's  primer,  see  Pri- 
mer. 

King  James'  Bible, xxvii,  xxviii; 
used  in  the  revision  of  1661- 
62,  xlii,  xlvii. 

King's  book,  the,  see  "Neces- 
sary Doctrine,  A,  and  Erudi- 
tion for  any  Christian  Man." 

King's  primer,  see  Primer. 

Latin  the  language  of  pre- 
formation service-books,  x, 
xi,  xlviii;  character  of  lan- 
guage, xli. 

Laud's  Book,  see  Prayer-Book 
for  the  Use  in  Scotland. 

Lay  Folks  Prayer-Book,  see 
Primer. 

[  lx 


Litany  in  English,  prepared  by 
Cranmer,  vii,  xiv. 

Mark,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  viii. 

Mary,  Queen,  proscribes  Book 
of  Common  Prayer  and  re- 
stores supremacy  of  Rome 
and  the  Roman  mass,  xix,  xx. 

Merbecke's  "  Book  of  Common 
Prayer"  noted,  xlvi. 

Metrical  versions  of  the  Psalms, 
xliv,  lviii. 

Milan,  Liturgy  of,  ix. 

Missal,  xlix;  according  to  the 
Use  of  Sarum,  x. 

Mozarabic  liturgy,  ix. 

Music  authorized  and  encour- 
aged by  the  directions  of  the 
Prayer-Book,  xlii,  xliii. 

"Necessary  Doctrine,  A, and 
Erudition  for  any  Christian 
Man,"  1543,  xiii. 

Occasional  forms  of  prayer, 
see  Forms  of  Common  Prayer. 

"Order  of  the  Communion, 
The,"  vii,  viii,  xv. 

Ordinal,  of  1550,  added  to  re- 
vised book  of  1552,  xviii;  of 
1 559,  xiv. 

Ornaments  rubric  the  only  im- 
portant alteration  in  the  Eliza- 
bethan Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  xxi,  xxii. 

Papal  bulls  excommunicating 
Queen  Elizabeth,  xxiii-xxv. 

Parliament  and  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  iii,  xxxv, 
xxxvi,  lii,  liii;  and  the  Direc- 
tory for  the  public  worship 
of  God,  xxviii,  xxix. 

Peter,  St.,  Liturgy  of,  viii,  ix. 

*  ] 


INDEX 


Prayer-Bookfor  the  Use  in  Scot- 
land, 1637,  xxviii-xxxv,  xlvi. 

Pre-reformation  church  in  Eng- 
land, vi. 

Pre-reformation  service-books, 
Committee  of  Convocation 
appointed  for  revision  of, 
vii;  numerous  and  expensive, 
xlviii-1 ;  without  binding  force 
in  the  law  of  the  state,  iii. 

Primer,  the,  xi;  King  Henry's, 
vii,  xi,  xii. 

Primitive  forms  of  worship,  viii, 
xii. 

"Proposed  Book"  of  1785-86, 
lvi. 

Psalter  of  the  Prayer-Book,  xlii, 
xlv-xlviii. 

Roman  liturgy,  see  Peter,  St., 
Liturgy  of. 

Royal  prerogative  in  ecclesiasti- 
cal affairs,  xxii,  xxxvi,  xxxvii. 

Rubrics  of  service-books,  xlviii. 

Salisbury  (Sarum)  liturgy,  x; 

primer,  xi. 
Savoy  Conference,  xxxi. 
Scottish   Service-Book,  1637, 

xxviii-xxxv,  xlvi. 
"Seabury  Communion  Office," 

liv. 

Six  Articles,  the,  of  1539,  xiii. 


Spanish  Armada  and  its  fate, 
xxiv-xxvi. 

Standard  editions  of  the  Ame- 
rican Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  Iviii. 

State  services  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  of  1662,  xl. 

Sternholde  and  Hopkins  Psalms, 
xliv. 

Supremacy  Act  of  I534,vi,xxii; 
of  1558,  xx,  xxii. 

Supremacy  of  Rome,  restored 
by  Queen  Mary,  xix,  xx;  ef- 
fectively destroyed  in  1559, 
xxiii. 

Xate  and  Brady's  Psalms,  xliv, 
lviii. 

Ten  Articles,  the,  of  1536,  xii, 
xiii. 

Thirty-Nine  Articles,  the,  xiv, 
xxxvi. 

Translations  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,  xxxiii, 
xxxiv,  lvi. 

Uniformity,  Acts  of,  iv,  xvi, 
xvii,  xx,  xxxii,  xxxiv;  pro- 
tect the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  against  useless  revi- 
sion, xlii. 

United  Church  of  England  and 
Ireland,  xxxiv. 


